Did you know that birthstones originated from the Breastplate of Aaron described in Exodus 28:15-20 of the Old Testament? This special breastplate was a sacred object worn by the High Priest of the Israelites to communicate with God. It was set with twelve gemstones, each representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Each of these stones also corresponds with the twelve signs of the zodiac and were later modernized to correspond with the twelve months of the year. They didn’t become fashionable to wear until the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Back then, it was custom to own all twelve stones and wear each month’s stone, no matter what your birthday is so you could benefit from the stones power. Did you know there were healing properties of birthstones?

It’s pretty well-known different attributes come with different zodiacs of the month so it’s no surprise that birthstones come with different attributes as well. Not only are these stones a token of good fortune, but they can help you connect with your own unique radiance. It’s one of the reasons why we like to smoke out of different colored pipes throughout the month. We’ve included some of our favorites in a gallery in the post below – you can find these, and many more birthstone inspired glass pipes, at each of our locations.

But… what do each of these stones represent and do? Here’s the metaphysical and healing properties of birthstones:

January: Garnet

Color: blood red to purple
Healing & Metaphysical Properties: Garnet has been long been used during the healing process due to the cleansing and reenergizing properties it has on the chakras. The regeneration and reenergizing properties of this stone can give your whole body a boost of revitalization. The stone is also used for regulating the menstrual cycle and helping to heal reproductive disorders. Garnet is strongly tied to the element of fire and the goddess Persephone. It is a stone of truth, purity, love, and compassion. When used during meditation, the stone can be useful for bringing about beneficial information that is being searched for.

February: Amethyst

Color: violet, purple
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Some call amethyst the “awakener to the psychic dimensions and the third eye” due to its’ intuition and clairvoyant enhancing abilities. For those who are already in tune with the third eye amethyst can be used to quiet the eye, bringing about an overall sense of well being and peace. This stone is often worn by healers because it processes the power to focus energy. Amethyst crystal clusters can be used to clean the air in your home and give it an overall positive, calm energy.

March: Aquamarine

Color: green blue
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Aquamarine is known as the energizer to the subtle body, your emotional self. Its’ properties can help to uplift and revitalize your body in mind. The effects of the stone can give you the courage to voice your ideas, feelings, and deepest desires while allowing you to think clearly, bringing upon a sense of brilliance. The medicinal uses for Aquamarine range from aiding expecting mothers during pregnancy to alleviating overreactions of the immune system such as hay fever.

April: Diamond

Color: colorless (high quality), pale yellow (low quality)
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Diamonds can be anyone’s best friend, not just a girl’s best friend. These beautiful stones can help bring clarity to cluttered minds, awaken your intuition, stimulate the higher mind, give energy to depressed hearts, and raise self-awareness. In addition, diamonds can effectively treat a variety of conditions including vertigo and dizziness. Because diamonds never require recharging, they are beneficial to keep around to bring strength and endurance to not only yourself, but other crystals as well. Be careful though, diamonds can also promote negative energies as well!

May: Emerald

Color: deep dark green
Healing & Metaphysical Properties: Associated with the heart chakra, Emeralds can have quite the healing effect on the body. These beautiful green stones can alleviate diabetes and rheumatism, improve vision, and aid in recovery after infectious illness. They are also used to treat disorders of the spine, lungs, heart, and muscular system. These stones heal the physical body by opening the heart to the healing power of love and self-healing.

June: Alexandrite, Pearl, Moonstone

*Did you know… There has been a lot of controversy on what the original stones on the Breastplate of Aaron actually were? Therefore, some months have more than one birthstone. Who would have thought, right? You can find additional information about the history and debate about the Breastplate of Aaron here.

Alexandrite

Color: rose-pink, violet
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Alexandrite is associated with the intuitive center of the mind and the heart center, stimulating compassion for others. It can help its’ wearers transmit vibrations of love and use their intuitive gifts for the greater good of loved ones around them. On a physical level, alexandrite can help to balance the nervous system and glandular system. It can also help to stimulate the liver so it may work at its’ peak performance, helping to detoxify the body.

Pearl

Color: luminescent white
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Pearls have long been a symbol of purity in love and life. It’s no surprise they can increase fertility and ease childbirth. When held, they can also help to improve the skin and treat digestive disorders. Wearing Pearls can help individuals succeed in creative work and suggest stable marriage relationships.
*Did you know… The ancient Greeks believed that Pearls were tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love, that had hardened after falling from her face.

Moonstone

Color: opaque with blue hues, if you look close enough it almost looks like there is an ethereal spirit trapped inside
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Attuning to the ebb and flow of the moon’s energy is a strong characteristic of the moonstone, making them incredibly helpful in stabilizing male and female cycles and hormonal shifts throughout the month. They can also aid with digestive and reproductive system issues and ease degenerative conditions of the skin, hair, and eyes. Since moonstone is filled with passive, receptive, and feminine energy, they’re helpful in balancing judgement to stay objective, enhance patience, promote empathy and calm over reactions to difficult situations.

July: Ruby

Color: bright and deep dark red
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  If you’re looking to get rid of the negative energy in your life, then wear a ruby. In addition to encouraging the removal of negativity from your life, rubies can also help with diseases of the lymphatic system, adrenals, kidneys, reproductive organs, and the spleen. Some say the magical powers of the ruby can attract the right romantic partner your way and help you to feel more passionate, appealing, and attractive.

August: Peridot, Spinel

Peridot

Color: natural green
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Peridot can give you a boost of energy to defeat apathy, exhaustion, and lethargy. Even the most sensitive person may feel more stable and at peace. Since the stone can soothe away worries and fears, it is a popular stone to wear during the most stressful of times. It also aids in the treatments of diseases of the gallbladder, spleen, heart, and lungs by boosting your metabolism and strengthening the immune system.

Spinel

Color: red, pink, purple, blue, orange, and black
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Like moonstone’s, spinel’s are very soothing and can help relieve the symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and PTSD. The stone can help you to overcome difficult situations, rejuvenate the body and mind, and enhance all of the positive aspects of your personality. Due to its’ wide color range, spinel has the ability to open up all of the chakras and helps to move kundalini energy up the spine.
*Did you know… Spinel is the most recent addition to the birthstone list, having been added in July of 2016.

September: Sapphire

Color: blue
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Sapphires are associated with enlightened minds, helping you to attract people who will compliment your uniqueness and advance your career. It can raise your consciousness to accept your outstanding qualities, brilliance, and divinity. Got something going on with your blood? Wear a sapphire. They are used to treat disorders of the blood, strengthen the walls of veins, and prevent excessive bleeding.

October: Opal, Tourmaline

Opal

Color: varying hues of color from light to fiery red and orange
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Opals have been shown to cleanse the blood and kidneys, regulate insulin, treat infections and fevers, and strengthen memory. It has also been useful in easing PMS and childbirth. The red and orange types of Opals can activate the second chakra, your sexual center, improving libido and sex appeal. Other varieties can promote personal expression and stimulate creativity.

Tourmaline

Color: neon green-blue, deep pink, royal blue
Healing & Metaphysical Properties: Tourmaline can help individuals overcome difficult situations by helping you to attract inspiration, tolerance, and compassion while banishing feelings of being a victim. It can clear and balance all chakras, creating a protective shield around the whole body. Since this stone is a powerful mental healer, it can be used to improve hand/eye coordination and treat dyslexia and paranoia.

November: Topaz, Citrine

Topaz

Color: blue, pink, and yellow
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Individuals who wear topaz will feel an increase in strength, intellect, love, and affection. They can offer protection for travelers and support good mental health. If you’ve got digestive issues, it might be in your best interest to keep topaz nearby. It can aid in digestion, stimulate metabolism, and help to combat eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Citrine

Color: yellow
Healing & Metaphysical Properties: Boosting your self (and financial) worth is easy when you keep Citrine close. This birthstone emits a powerful energy for attracting the things you really want in your life (including money!). This is because this stone is associated with the navel chakra; it will strengthen your will and empower you to develop the leadership skills you need to succeed in life. Medicinally, Citrine is widely used to aid digestion and help treat other digestive tract issues.

December: Zircon, Tanzanite, Turquoise

Zircon

Color: presents a rainbow spectrum of color
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  When it comes to zircon and physical health, there are a wide variety of medicinal uses. It is beneficial in treating insomnia and driving away night terrors, encouraging a restful sleep to strengthen the whole body. It is also known to reduce fevers, repel contagious diseases, stimulating the liver, easing menstrual pain, and can balance the adrenal glands. As for your mental health, zircon is extremely beneficial if you’re suffering the loss of a loved one. It can help you to overcome these feelings of loss and let go of emotional pain, fear, and sadness.

Tanzanite

Color: blue, violet, and pink tones depending on the light
Healing & Metaphysical Properties: Since tanzanite brings together all aspects of communication and psychic power, it is one of the most valuable of all metaphysical crystals. Widely used during meditation, tanzanite can allow for a deep and profound experience helping you to unite the mind and the heart, giving one the ability to live compassionately with an illuminated mind. When used for a physical purpose, the stone can strengthen the immune system, improve vitality, detoxify the blood, and promote the regeneration of cells.
*Did you know…. Tanzanite is actually a variety of zoisite. It was renamed Tanzanite in 1968 by Tiffany from Tiffany & Co because zoisite sounded too much like “suicide” making the name difficult to publicize. It can only be found within a few square miles of land in Tanzania, near Mount Kilimanjaro.

Turquoise

Color: green and blue
Healing & Metaphysical Properties:  Known for its’ shamanic medicinal properties, turquoise has been used to help Native American medicine men communicate visions and revelations of the Great Spirit. Since turquoise is associated with the throat chakra, it can help give voice to your wisdom to influence others. Turquoise has a long list of medicinal uses. It can purify the lungs, soothe and clear sore throats, promotes healing within the eyes, including the healing of cataracts, aids in the absorption of nutrients, enhances the immune system, and helps to fight off viral infections… just to name a few!

Do you show off all the birthstones throughout the year, or just your own?  Let us know by commenting below! Questions? Concerns? Shoot us a note. We’re here to help.

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