Birthstones and Alternatives for April and May

The idea of one gem for each month and the concept of wearing your “birth stone” started long ago – between the 16th and 18th centuries.The National Association of Jewelers released a list of so-called “modern birthstones” in 1912 in the United States.

Wearing your birthstone is supposed to bring you luck. However, if you don’t like your birthstone there are alternatives. There are a variety of birthstone lists these days, so you have some choice – traditional, modern, stones associated with your zodiac sign, etc.

Traditional birthstones include a mix of transparent and opaque gems while the modern list  features only transparent gems. Traditional birthstone choices for April are diamond, opal, and sapphire, but you can also consider rock crystal (quartz) or another white/clear stone like white topaz. The birthstone for May is the emerald – another expensive stone!   An alternate choice for May is agate – available in lots of colors.

The Zodiac signs of Aries and Taurus include nine additional stones to look at: bloodstone, topaz, jasper, coral, amber, turquoise, emerald, aventurine, and garnet.

Stones based on the Zodiac are:  Aquarius (1/21-2/21) – garnet, Pisces (2/21-3/21) – amethyst, Aries (3/21-4/21) – bloodstone, Taurus (4/21-5/21) – sapphire, Gemini (5/21-6/21) – agate,  Cancer (6/21-7/22) – emerald, Leo 7/22-8/22 – onyx, Virgo (8/22-922) – carnelian, Libra (9/22-10/23) – chrysoberyl/peridot, Scorpio (10/23-11/21) – beryl, Sagittarius (11/21-12/21) – topaz, and Capricorn (12/21-1/21) – ruby.

Sun Signs and Star Signs will provide even more choices