Historically, the ruby is associated with royalty, love and vividness, passion and power. Thirteenth century medical literature from India tells us that a ruby could cure digestive disorders. In the Bible, only wisdom and a virtuous woman are more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 8:11 & 31:10). 

An extremely rare flawless ruby is actually more valuable than a diamond, the true emperor of gemstones. In 1550, the finest 1-carat ruby cost eight times more than a comparable quality 1-carat diamond. Wow! By 1894, this is dropped to a 2:1 ratio in favor of the ruby, but it is still incredible. I don’t know about you, but I generally think of the diamond as the most expensive gem stone available.

Some famous rubies include:
The Edwardes Ruby, a 167-carat ruby, donated to the British Museum of Natural History in 1887.
The Rosser Reeves Ruby, a 137-carat ruby, displayed at The Smithsonian.
The Edith Haggin de Long Ruby, a 100-carat ruby, displayed at The American Museum of Natural History.
Rubies are made of the mineral corundum, one of the most durable minerals, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and is extremely tough – Diamonds are a 10.

Everything About Birthstones
by Gina Ritter

As a new parent or an old pro, there’s something wonderful about the birthstone. What does it mean? What can we find with our birthstone on it? Even children love to learn about their birthstones and receive special gifts.

January Birthstone: Garnet
Garnet, usually noted as the color red, is actually a gem of nature with its colors ranging from deep red to orange, yellow and green. Only blue is not found among garnets. Garnet is believed to be able to illuminate the night and protect the wearer from wounds, ill health and evil.

February Birthstone: Amethyst
The word “amethyst” comes from the Greek, meaning “not drunken,” and the gem is purported to have originated when the god Dionysus took out his anger on mortals.

March Birthstone: Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a beautiful light blue-green stone whose name is derived from the Latin “beryllus aquamarinus,” meaning “resembling seawater” — “aqua” meaning water and “mare,” sea. Since it’s the color of the sky, aquamarine is presumed to be heavenly or eternal. It’s also the color of water, carrying the legend that it was originally found in a mermaid’s treasure and making it a sailor’s talisman. Its light blue color symbolizes sympathy, trust, harmony or friendship in a relationship, and aquamarine is supposed to be the ideal gemstone for lovers or couples to give them happiness and riches.

April Birthstone: Diamond
While you may think of diamonds as being colorless or yellow, they really come in a rainbow of colors. Although they tend to be pale, they come in oranges, greens, pinks and blues, pale to bright yellows and several shades of brown now being given names like “cognac” and “champagne.” “Diamond” is from the Greek “adamas,” meaning unbreakable or unconquerable. Diamonds were believed to render poison harmless and to drive away insanity and bad dreams.

May Birthstone: Emerald
The name emerald was derived from French “esmeraude,” formed from a Latin root word meaning “green gemstone.” Like the garnet, the emerald is a natural color also linked to the earth goddess and fertility. “Emerald green” gained its named from this amazingly deep and beautiful green color. In lore it was sacred to the goddess Venus and interestingly, it’s been worn to ease the pain of childbirth. Emeralds promise good luck, well-being and healing.

June Birthstone: Pearl
Pearls are an organic gem, formed by an irritation in a sea oyster or freshwater mussels. Long ago, pearls were important financial assets, comparable in price to real estate, as thousands of oysters had to be searched for only one pearl. They were rare because they were created only by chance. Now, men culture pearls by setting a sea shell piece in the oyster and returning it back to the water until a sufficient amount of time has passed for it to create a pearl. The goddess Venus was linked to pearls as a symbol of innocence.

July Birthstone: Ruby
An extremely rare flawless ruby is more valuable than a diamond, a true emperor of the gemstones. Historically, the ruby is associated with royalty, love and vividness, passion and power. It was attributed to the power over life and death, strengthening the heart, diluting poisons and prevention of blood loss. Red emanates warmth and a strong sense of life.

August Birthstone: Peridot
The peridot is a light green color perfect for summer and said to rid night terrors and bad thoughts with some healing powers for the liver. The Egyptians used peridots and the ancient Romans coveted its brilliant green sparkle, naming it “evening emerald”. Peridot is also found in European medieval churches.

September Birthstone: Sapphire
In ancient times, the sky was believed to be “a gigantic blue sapphire stone into which the earth is embedded.” Buddhists believe the sapphire brings purity and spiritual enlightenment. The sapphire is found in all the colors of the sky as well as all the colors of the sunset, including yellow, pink, orange and purple (but not red; in fact, a red sapphire is actually a ruby). Interestingly, a large percentage of the population favors the color blue, and sapphires are connected to sympathy and harmony, friendship and loyalty. Sapphire blue is related to reliability, loyalty, faithfulness, love and yearning and like aquamarine, is considered a gem for couples and lovers. Sapphires are also connected to identifying liars, protection from black magic, visions and the ability to read the future.

October Birthstone: Opal and Tourmaline
In ancient Egyptian legend, the “rainbow gemstone” tourmaline got its amazing colors from heat while traveling to the sun on a rainbow. No two are alike, and it is thought to possess magical powers, especially in love, stability and friendship.

Opals carry a mystical healing power, according to the ancients, and can solve depression and help find true love. When the zodiac sign bearer carries an opal, his or her personality and positive characteristics are amplified. Opal reflects changing emotions and moods of people and our moods will choose the color of opal we prefer that day. In the time of the ancient Australian aborigines, it is reported that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow to spread peace, and where his foot touched the ground, opals were formed in rainbow colors. The Roman senator Nonius chose exile rather than surrendering an opal to Mark Antony.

November Birthstone: Topaz
Topaz is used for clear sight and to break the chains of magical enchantment, protect the faithful against harm and increase strength. It’s said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink and to be colored with the golden glow of the mighty Egyptian sun god Ra. Rubbing or gentle heating of topaz electrifies it, causing it to attract small particles like bits of paper or hair. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Topaz was said to cure insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages. The word “topaz” comes from the Sanskrit “tapas,” meaning ‘to glow.” Topaz is colored amber gold, peach, warm brown or oranges, blue and rarely pink. Citrine is a form of topaz.

December Birthstone: Blue Zircon
In the Middle Ages, zircon was said to aid sleep, bring prosperity and promote honor and wisdom in its owner. The name probably comes from the Persian word “zargun,” which means “gold-colored,” although zircon comes in pastel blue, bright blue, green, and dark red, yellow, brown, and orange. Zircon is said to rid wearers of bad dreams and spirits, grief, melancholy and sleeplessness. Zircon is often confused with the man-made diamond, cubic zirconia.

© Gina Ritter

Gina Ritter is the owner and publisher of Natural Family Online as well as a freelance and fiction writer. Visit her at GinaRitter.com and Blame Mama Media.

• Largest cut diamond in the world: “Star of Africa” is pear-shaped, 74 facets, 530.20 carats, set in the Royal Scepter (in the Tower of London), and was cut from the Cullinan.
• Third largest cut diamond: “The Great Mogul” was found in the mid-seventeenth century in India and weighed approximately 280 carats.
• Largest natural diamond in the world: “The Cullian” was discovered in South Africa in l095, weighed 3,106 carats and yielded nine major and 96 smaller brilliant-cut stones.
• Second largest natural diamond in the world: “The Excelsior” is a high-clarity, blue-white stone, discovered in l893 in South Africa, cut into 21 stones.
• Oldest Diamond: “The Koh-i-Nur” dates back to 1304 and originally weighed l986 carats. It was later cut to l08.93 carats and is kept in the Tower of London.

Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family and ranges in color from an almost colorless pale blue to blue-green or teal. The most prized color is a deep-blue aqua color. It is 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of hardness and has a hexagonal crystal structure.

A notable biblical mention of the stone is found in the Song of Solomon,”O daughters of Jerusalem, this is my beloved, and this is my friend. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl.” In the middle ages, beryl was supposed to give its wearer cheerfulness. It was called the “sweet-tempered stone,” and these qualities might perhaps account for the presence of a piece of beryl in the English crown. In the Middle Ages it was believed to give the wearer foresight and freedom from insomnia. Water in which an aquamarine had been soaked was believed to cure eye troubles and hiccups. Legends also say that it is the treasure of mermaids with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. This may explain why sailors have carried them so faithfully.

Ready for trivia…? The British Museum of Natural History owns an 879.5 carat flawless aquamarine with a lovely sea-green color.

I love the Greek legend that explains the origin of amethyst. One day Dionysius, the god of drunkenness, was insulted by a mortal and swore that he would cause the next mortal he came across to be mauled by tigers. As it happened, the next mortal to cross his path was Amethyst, a beautiful young girl on her way to pay tribute to Diana. Diana, having known of Dionysius’ plan, turned Amethyst into a crystal statue to protect her from the tigers’ claws. When Dionysius saw the statue and realized what he had done, he cried tears of wine that stained the statue purple thus creating the stone we know today.

Unlike garnets that are found in many different colors, amethysts are all purple. The colors range from pale lilac to deep purple, with the deep colors being the most valuable. Amethyst can occur in 2 different forms: long prismatic crystals with a point (six-sided pyramid) at either end or druzes (crystalline crusts) with only one pointed end. Amethyst has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

Just a bit of trivia – one of the largest amethysts ever cut is 343 carats and is housed at the National History Museum in London.

Garnets are most commonly red in color but can be found in a variety of colors, including purple, red, orange, yellow, green, brown, black, or colorless. So what makes a garnet a garnet and not an emerald, or amethyst? The garnet group of minerals shows crystals with rhombic dodecahedrons and trapezohedrons. The chemical elements in garnet include calcium, magnesium, aluminium, iron2+, iron3+, chromium, manganese, and titanium. The hardness is 6.5-7.5 and the specific gravity is 3.1-4.3.

The word “garnet” appears to originate with the Latin word granatus which means “grain.” This is possibly a reference to the Latin phrase granatum malum which means “pomegranate.” Pomegranate a red fruit with seeds (grains) similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals.

Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862 in Bohemia. Bohemia was one of the most important manufacturing centers for glass and crystal. As a young boy, Daniel watched his father work in his glass and crystal cutting business. When he got older, he completed apprenticeships with his father and at several other crystal-cutters. At the age of 21, he had an idea of a lifetime – develop a machine for cutting crystal. For nine years, he worked day and night on his dream. In 1892, he registered a patent for his invention: a machine that cut crystal to perfection every time. In 1895, he founded Swarovski with his brother-in-law Franz Weis and Armand Kosmann. They opened a crystal cutting factory in Wattens (near Innsbruck, Austria) where they could take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes of his machine.

It took the years between 1908 and 1913 to perfect the formula for a flawless crystal. This was done primarily by Daniel’s sons Wilhelm, Friedrich, and Alfred who followed in their father’s footsteps. Their goal was to create the very finest crystal in the world and to meet production demands that were growing every year.

Swarovski has invented and patented hundreds of unique products comprised of crystals. Here are just a few:

1931 – Crystal-set fabric ribbon, which could be applied directly to clothing, shoes, and any other accessory
1956 – Jewelry stone finish “Aurora Borealis”, which shimmers in every imaginable color
1967 – Machine cut simulated precious crystals
1975 – “Hot-Fix” technology adds a sparkling radiance to any item of clothing
1993 – “Crystal Mesh” revolutionized jewelry and fashion accessory design
1999 – “Crystal Tattoo” applies self-adhesive crystal jewelry stones to the skin
2003 – “Crystal Fabric” fuses fabric and crystal into a second skin