Can you choose the perfect gift when you only know one thing?  Yes you can.  All you need to know is the month of the recipient’s birth.  There’s no guessing what size would fit or if the color is right. Birthstone jewelry is an excellent gift for just about anyone from toddler to grandparents.  It’s a personal gift without being too intimate.

While the official modern list of birthstones was compiled in 1912 by the American National Association of Jewelers, gemstones have had special meaning since the early Romans.

Diamonds

Diamonds are probably the best known gemstone, followed by rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. There are many other stones just as beautiful and not quite as expensive as these four.

Diamonds are crystallized carbon.  Carbon is the same thing as coal, the “lead” in a pencil, and the soot in a chimney.  The difference is that in a diamond the carbon has crystallized.  It is the hardest natural substance in the world.

April’s birthstone is a diamond.  Diamonds set in a heart, rectangular, or dome shape ring makes a lovely gift.  The diamonds swirled in a rope pattern is another alternative or a diamond hoop earring set in white gold.

Diamonds in cognac, yellow, chocolate, gray or black are unusual and striking especially if used together in a ring resembling a flower where the petals are black diamonds and the center white diamonds.

The Big Three: Rubies, Sapphires and Emeralds

Rubies, the birthstone of July, are made from corundum a substance almost as hard as diamonds but not quite. Rubies are by definition red, although in some countries rubies also encompass pinks, and orange-red, as well as true red. Rubies are faceted to bring out their brilliance.  Some are polished to show off the star effect. Occasionally rubies are found as beads.

A necklace set with brilliant rubies in vermeil, gold overlaid on sterling silver, is a stunning birthstone jewelry gift.  Rubies and gold chandelier earrings are the height of fashion. Rubies set pave style, close together without visible prongs, provide a band of fiery red whether in a bracelet or ring.

Sapphires, September’s birthstone, are also the mineral corundum. When you think of sapphires, blue is the color that comes to mind.  However, sapphires come in nearly every color.  The most valuable sapphires are a deep sky blue.  Like rubies most are faceted, but some are polished to show off the star effect.  Sapphires also are used as polished round beads in necklaces and bracelets.

Colored sapphires are beautiful in birthstone jewelry.  A ring made of flowers of orange, pink and yellow sapphires offset by cocoa diamonds in the centers of the flowers would make a lovely and unusual birthstone gift for someone born in September.

Emeralds, the birthstone of May, are the mineral beryl and the color green. The most valuable emeralds come from Columbia.  Emeralds are valued more on their depth of color than their clarity.  Perfectly clear emeralds are usually man made or synthetic rather than found in nature.

A ring set with a center emerald and accented by two flowers made of diamonds on either side is a sweet gift for a young girl, or a woman who is young at heart.

Gemstones for the other months

While diamonds and the big three are the most well known of the birthstones, and gemstones in general, there are lots of other beautiful gems.

Amethysts are favored for their deep purple color and represent the month of February.  Amethysts are quartz.  Yellow quartz known as citrine is sometimes mistaken for topaz, the birthstone for November.   Topaz comes in a golden yellow and more rarely blue.  Blue topaz is often irradiated to bring out the color, an acceptable practice with jewelers.

Garnet, January, is a versatile gemstone. The most valued is a strong red with little brown or orange hues.  Surprisingly garnet also comes in green, yellow, orange and violet.

Turquoise, December, is found in Native American Indian jewelry, especially that from the Hopi Tribe.  It is opaque, mostly bluish, often found with veins of other colors running through it.  Turquoise is easily scratched and sometimes turns brownish with age.  Keep away from soap and water.  Turquoise can easily be faked using plastics.

Opal is for October.  The gemstone is never faceted, with the exception of Paraguay fire opals, but always polished.  It exhibits brilliant flashes of rainbows and iridescence in its depth. Oiling opals is important to maintaining its fire.  Black opals are more valuable than white or pink because the flashing rainbow effect is more pronounced against the black background.

Pearls, June, are one of the few gemstones that are organic. Pearls are created by an  oyster or other mollusk, as a reaction to a bit of sand or other irritating material.  The vast majority of pearls are cultured, meaning a round base is introduced into the pearl, and the oysters manufacture the pearl coating around it.  The longer the base stays in the oyster the thicker the coating.  Pearl earrings are a classic gift for young girls.  Fresh water pearls are stunning when several strands are intertwined into a single rope.

No matter what the occasion, birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or just a thank you, birthstone jewelry is nearly the perfect gift for just about everyone.