Birthstone Stories explores the magic, meaning and history of the birthstones, covering every month in detail and revealing some of the most beautiful and significant pieces of jewelry and birthstone specimens ever found. Beautifully illustrated, it elevates the birthstones and is the perfect book for anyone curious about crystals and history.

If you are someone who has even a passing interest in jewelry, you have probably given, or received, something containing a birthstone. You may love or hate your birthstone—or stones, if you are one of the lucky ones with multiple options—but have you ever stopped to consider where the idea even came from? Birthstones have a twofold history—the ancient, and the modern. The initial concept can be traced back to a source from the 13th century bce, the Book of Exodus, which is part of both the Torah and the Old Testament. In this ancient text, there is a description of something known as the Breastplate of Aaron, a sacred object worn over the tunic of the High Priest of the Israelites, set with 12 stones, each representing one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Modern translations of various ancient texts have tried to decipher which stones were being referenced in this breastplate, but unfortunately, the ever-changing nature of language over time has made it almost impossible to say, with certainty, what those 12 stones were. This ancient breastplate was first associated with the concept of monthly birthstones by a historian named Josephus, who lived in Rome during the 1st century ce. He noted that there were 12 stones, 12 months of the year, and 12 zodiac signs, and assigned one stone to each month. Once again, the translations were fickle and prone to misinterpretation. Even Josephus could not be sure which stone to assign to each month, and created multiple lists. Despite this burgeoning idea of birthstones, the practice did not catch on for another thousand years, when it became customary within Christianity to associate stones with the 12 apostles, and to wear one stone per month in their honor. This practice was, of course, reserved for royalty and the very wealthy—owning 12 different gems would have been exorbitantly costly.