Therefore, the gem is named after the beautiful blue sea. The word aquamarine is a combination of two words, aqua meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. The substance must be naturally occurring (not man-made), inorganic, solid, with a definition chemical composition, and ordered internal structure.Īquamarine is the birthstone for those lucky enough to be born in March. In order to be technically a mineral, a substance must meet these five requirements. One of the tenant building blocks of rocks are minerals, which geologists have a very precise definition for. Keep in mind there are different types and variations of birthstones, for instance birthstones for zodiac symbols such as gemini. The twelve birthstones have largely remained the same since then, albeit with a few companies trying to pitch their gems into the mix to boost sales. In 1912 the National Association of Jewelers solidified the practice in the United States.
The modern variation we know today came about in the 18th century in Poland whereby Jewish gem traders marketed selling each gemstone based on a person’s birth month.
Initially, the thinking was that each person would own all 12 birthstones and wear each gem on the corresponding month. Jerome, are credited with associating the 12 breastplate gems with the 12 signs of the zodiac. How did these breastplate gems turn into the birthstones we all know today? Stepping forward to the 1st and 5th century AD two scholars, Flavius Josephus and St. "There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:17-20) This specific breastplate was adorned with the following gems: emerald, sapphire, diamond, topaz, carbuncle, sardius, agate, ligure, amethyst, onyx, jasper, and beryl. The breastplate was inlaid with 12 gemstones that each represented the twelve tribes of Israel at the time.
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