Who discovered birthstones?

Answer 1

· The origin of the birthstone goes back thousands of years to the time of Moses. It was at his command that the Breast Plate of the High Priest was made with the twelve colors, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, and a corresponding gemstone was attributed to each color. Over the centuries, the number twelve developed mystical proportions. There were twelve tribes of ancient Israel, twelve apostles, twelve foundation stones of the Holy City, twelve months of the year and twelve signs of the zodiac. As time passed, people wanted to own all twelve stones of the sacred Breast Plate and began wearing one gemstone set into a piece of jewelry each month and changing it as the months changed. Eventually, in a quest for individuality, people began wearing only his or her stone of birth all year, giving birth to the twelve birthstones. Each birthstone supposedly represents a magical power. Some were said to ward off evil, protect the wearer in battle, cure blindness, gout and palsy, protect from sexual deseases, and even immunize the wearer from drunkenness.........

Answer 2

The idea of birthstones has been traced back to The Bible. In the Book of Exodus, Aaron wears a religious garment with one gemstone inlaid for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. This evolved into the gemstones representing the months of the year.

Answer 3

The idea of birthstones can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who believed that gemstones had magical powers and were linked to specific months or zodiac signs. However, the modern concept of birthstones, a specific gemstone assigned to each month of the year, was popularized in the early 20th century by the American National Retail Jewelers Association (now called Jewelers of America).