What is your birth stone? It is a question I have been asked occasionally. I do not associate mystical powers to my birthstone. I looked out of interest. I don't even read my horoscope. I am aware that I am a cancer The Crab and my month birthstone is a ruby. There it stops.
So, what is a birth stone? A birthstone is a gem that has been associated with a particular month. If I am being cynical, I would suspect that maybe jewellers started the idea as birthstones are often worn as jewellery and given as gifts. As you will see below there are various ways to wear your birth stone.
Recently, I discovered that there are days of the week birthstones, so if you don't like your month birthstone you can have your day of the week birth stone.
Comments
Thanks Mira,
I am contented with my collection. I like to have just a few quality pieces and fashion items are so lovely and reasonably priced that we can look gorgeous all the time .
Yes, it's wonderful. I rarely go out without a necklace, and I have large "fashion" necklaces these days. Many of them are with gemstones. I have to say your jewelry pieces are very elegant!
Hello yes I am the same. I love to buy costume pieces but I intersperse them with a very few quality gem pieces that I own , most of which are pictured here. All these pictures are from my collection. I always wear ear rings, a necklace and rings EVERY day to match my outfit colours. Costume and gem jewellery "finsh" an outfit.
I really like gemstones. I buy necklaces at various fairs and then mix-and-match my own necklaces. It gives me great pleasure to do so :)
Astrology only arose in some societies, e.g.Iran. There were many agrarian societies that did not have it.
Frank
That's not what I said. I said people used to look to the stars to know when the rains would come, when the crops could be planted. …. Belief that there was a connection between stars and fate followed.
Astrology was never about rain and climate.It rests upon a belief that there is a mysterious connection between events on Earth and in the heavens.
Frank and BSG
To be fair to ancient peoples, I can see how astrology developed.... e.g. when the certain consolation was in a certain part of the horizon, the rains would be coming, or if they were up above, it was time to bring in the Harvest. It developed from there.
But beyond these seasonal indications, as a Roman Catholic, I can't hold with astrology.
The Hebrews of the time of Aaron and Moses had no astrological beliefs. These beliefs crept into the Middle East from Iran after the Persians conquered Babylon in 527 B.C, where the Jews were slaves. Persian astrological ideas spread around the Middle East from then on.
For the reasons stated above I am sceptical of the link between birthstones and the tribes of Israel and breastplate of Aaron.
As a [retired] lecturer in Religious Studies and Philosophy I have no truck with astrology.
BSG
It is a very interesting topic and deeper than it would seem at first glance. The 12 tribes of Israel is a good point.
I don't do astrology at all.