Birthstone jewelry

Fashion Synopsis

The “New Age” dawned in the late 60's, a spiritual movement that, among other things, advocated the power of birthstones: a specific stone or gem that belonged to each month of the calendar year. Some people claim minerals and stones have vibrational properties that can affect and influence the biorhythms of the human body. Whether this is true or not, people embraced the idea of birthstones and began wearing them as jewelry.

While the real things were precious gems and very expensive, it became a fad to create fake gems under the label of birthstones. Usually colored glass, they were sold in sets of earrings and necklace, or maybe a bracelet. Nothing made a girl feel more adult than her own matching set.

This trend became particularly popular in the 70's and early 80's when “What’s your sign?” was a casual salutation. And just in case you ever find yourself in just such a situation, here’s your very own birthstone guide:

January=garnet
February=amethyst
March=aquamarine
April=diamond
May=emerald
June=pearl
July=ruby
August=peridot
September=sapphire
October=opal
November=yellow topaz
December=blue topaz