Discover Your Birthstone Color

I'll always remember the deep red stone of my father's high school so when I think of Garnets that is what comes to mind but did you know that garnets comes in a virtual rainbow of choices not just red?

See the many colors of garnet and learn more about the Birthstone for January: Garnet

This gem is of special interest since to me because Amethyst is my birthstone.

But even though it is my birthstone I don't often choose to wear it. Of course, I might be more inclined to however if I owned the absolutely spectacular graduating necklace of faceted amethyst teardrops that Jackie O once loved to wear. It's gorgeous!

Amethyst is closely associated with the heavens and spiritual thought as well as being a great protector from negativity. Now there's some incentive to wear this purple gem.

I'll go find that Birthstone for February: Amethyst pendant I got for my birthday years ago. You never know when you might need to ward off a little negativity.

I love the color of the Aquamarine. It might be because its name literally translates to "sea water" and being by the ocean is one of my favorite places to be. that is what comes to mind when you look into the depths of this gem.

This gorgeous gemstone, like the ocean, is associated with the unconscious, and intuition. It's lucid color is reminiscent of the clear turquoise water of the Caribbean Ocean.

A close relative to emerald, it has a slight greenish tint mixed into the most beautiful transparent blue. Much like my signature paint color 'H2-Ahh!'. No wonder I love the Birthstone for March: Aquamarine

I have always loved diamonds and my favorite shape is emerald cut. Even though this cut doesn't show off the fire of the stone as well as many other cuts I like the rectangular style and large uncut top.

Funny that a color lover like me would favor a gem that is thought to have "sensational color" when it is colorless. Perhaps the secret to my appreciation of the diamond is that their absence of color sends out an entire rainbow of colors when light hits it.

While most often colorless diamonds do come in some varying hues. Other elements trapped in diamonds like nitrogen and boron can cause diamonds to take on yellow, brown, or black hues in in very rare cases an intense blue hue.

The colorless (white) diamonds are the most popular and traditionally recognized as the Birthstone for April: Diamonds

According to Kimberlin most emeralds, carat for carat are more valuable then diamonds. Well that was news to me but maybe it shouldn't have been.

Throughout history these stones have been prized and often Emeralds were used in wedding rings. In fact an Emerald might just be the perfect stone for a wedding ring since green is the color of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Well I can always use more love and beauty in my life so I think its time for me to take another look at thie gorgeous green Birthstone for May: Emerald

Most birthstones sparkle and shine but pearls have a natural, soft and sensuous luster that I find very appealing.

White pearls are classic and epitomize taste and style. I love the look of wearing many strands of pearls as Coco Chanel did but with my coloring the traditional white pearls aren't the best choice for me.

Lucky for me Birthstone for June: Pearl come in so many colors.

The best part of having Kimberlin talk about the special stone for each month is that I have discovered so many 'little gems' about birthstones that I never knew.

One thing I didn't know was that rubies are part of the family of minerals called corundum which encompasses all sapphires. Sapphires? Yep, rubies are only separated from other sapphires by its color. A green sapphire is an emerald and a red is a ruby.

Birthstone for July: Ruby is considered one of the four precious gemstones, together with diamond, emerald, and sapphire.

Peridot is a translucent green gem that forms during volcanic eruptions. Small pieces of peridot can be found scattered along the beaches in Hawaii and according to folklore peridot is the Goddess of Volcanoes, Pele.

The clear lime green Birthstone for July: Ruby is a pure pleaser even if your birthday isn't in August.

Sapphirus means blue in Greek and September's birthstone can be a deep, velvety blue. The color blue is associated with peace and harmony.

Like diamonds, sapphires are given to strengthen love and trust. It is the stone most associated with mutual understanding and faithfulness, making it a popular choice for engagement rings.

Blue is most popular color for sapphires but only one of its many amazing hues. The prized
Birthstone for September: Sapphire comes in an entire range of colors.

Like the ancient Greeks who called it opallios, meaning "to see a change in color'" I love the ever changing hues of the Opal.

The depth of the translucent stone and the magical quality of the many glints of color that shimmer from deep within have fascinated me since I received my first Opal necklace as a young teen.

Shakespeare described Birthstone for October: Opal as the 'Queen of Gems and I think he was right.

The ancient Egyptians believed that Topaz was colored with a golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra and that Topaz was very powerful and protected against harm.

According to Kimberlin Topaz represents friendship and trust. Since I place importance on being a good and trusted friend perhaps there is more to my attraction than just the golden color of the Birthstone for November: Topaz

The blue topaz is the rarest of the naturally occurring colors of Topaz and is found in three different shades of blue. Sky blue is the lightest, Swiss blue is a medium blue color, and London Blue is a very deep blue.

The spectacular blue of the Birthstone for December: Blue Topaz reminds me of the icy blue of the winter mornings of my youth although at this point in life I'd prefer to have the color call to mind a warm tropical beach where I've escaped the cold.

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Kimberlin Shares the Secrets of Each Birthstone over at Sensational Color.