Healing Power of Birthstones

Birthstones for Every Month of the Year

By Deanna Lynn Sletten

Gemstones have been linked to zodiac signs and birth months for thousands of years. Many say these precious and semiprecious stones have absorbed the earth's energies, giving them magical and healing properties--and as such, a prominent place throughout history. Religious leaders wore them to invoke spiritual guidance; in biblical days, kings and conquerors wore all 12 gemstones on their breastplates during battle to protect them from harm; ancient Egyptians placed precious stones in tombs to buy passage to the afterlife; and the Chinese used gems as trade currency. Through the ages, gemstones have also been used to heal physical and mental ills.

While it's said that a birthstone holds the strongest power for the person born in its month, anyone can wear the stones and benefit from their beauty and healing energies.

Learn more about the power of each birthstone.

Deanna Lynn Sletten has been writing for print media and the internet for many years and is the author of two novels. She shares information about writing in her blog, Write Moms.

January—Garnet

The red garnet, January's birthstone, is considered the oldest and most-worn gemstone. Garnets come in myriad colors, including clear, green, black, and many shades of orange and red. However, it's the deep red color that the garnet is named for, derived from the Latin word granatus, meaning "grain," because it resembles the luscious red seeds of the pomegranate. The garnet is a hard stone, making it perfect for everyday wear.

Throughout time garnets have adorned the powerful and the wealthy. This blood-red gemstone has long been associated with the healing of various blood diseases, as well as breaking fevers, reducing inflammation, and preventing depression. Wearing a garnet encourages creativity, courage, and balance, but the most magical power is the passion it inspires. This gemstone promotes love and relationships strong in commitment and fidelity. The garnet is also a symbol of everlasting friendship.

February—Amethyst

The amethyst, February's birthstone, has been traveling the world for more than 8,000 years as a trade commodity between many cultures. Amethyst is part of the quartz family, and while its color ranges from light lavender to the richest shade of purple, the deep purple stones are considered most valuable. The amethyst derives its name from the Greek word amethystus, meaning "sober," and was believed to protect the wearer from becoming intoxicated by alcohol.

Amethysts have been worn through the ages by religious leaders as a symbol of piety and celibacy. Buddhists believe that the amethyst enhances tranquility and peace during meditation, and Leonardo da Vinci thought it had the power to increase intelligence and protect against evil. This tranquil gemstone may bring peace to the wearer as well as alleviate anxiety, reduce negativity, and protect against deceit. The amethyst also contains the power to assist with therapy for alcohol and drug abuse.

March—Aquamarine

True to its water zodiac sign of Pisces, the aquamarine—the birthstone for March—has a long seafaring history. The name aquamarine comes from the Latin words aqua marina, which translates to "sea water." To ancient Romans aquamarine was the gemstone of the god of the sea, Neptune, and sailors carried aquamarines to protect themselves from the dangers of the deep.

Aquamarine is a sturdy stone from the beryl family and exists in a variety of shades, from pale blue to blue-green to teal. The deep aqua blue stones are the most valuable and sought after. Just as the sea can lull the watcher into a calm state of mind, so the aquamarine gemstone can calm the soul of the wearer. This serene stone is believed to ease anxiety, calm the nervous system, and improve mood. It is considered a strong healing stone that can cure toothaches, stomach pain, liver disorders, and throat pain. This aquatic gemstone also influences the wearer with traits of intelligence, courage, faithfulness, friendship, youthfulness, and happiness.

April—Diamond

The diamond, April's birthstone, is in perfect harmony with its strong-willed, stubborn, yet energetic counterpart, the zodiac sign Aries. Diamonds were believed to be the "teardrops of the gods" by ancient Greeks, who also named the earth's hardest precious stone after the word adamas, which means "indestructible." While diamonds come in a variety of colors, it is the clear, brilliant white diamond, reflecting a rainbow of colors, that is most admired.

For more than 3,000 years, the diamond has symbolized strength, power, and invincibility. Wearing this dazzling gemstone is said to bestow traits of courage, hope, generosity, and the power to fight dark forces. During the Middle Ages, diamonds were placed inside sick beds against the flesh of the ill to promote healing. Today diamonds are prized as the symbol of love and commitment and the promise of everlasting devotion—which is why it's part of most engagement and wedding rings.

May—Emerald

The glorious green emerald, May's birthstone, has been treasured by many cultures for thousands of years. The Egyptians mined emeralds by the Red Sea as long ago as 2,000 years B.C.E., and Cleopatra favored this rich, green stone, the gift of Julius Caesar who collected emeralds because of their purported healing powers. In the New World, Incas and Mayans used emeralds in religious rites. A true emerald is rarer than a diamond and costs much more per carat. Because of its rarity, this elegant stone has adorned the crowns and jewelry of royalty throughout the ages.

The emerald is a symbol of rebirth and is thought to contain the goodness of life. Its magical properties include peace, harmony, love, fidelity, honesty, and good fortune. Placing a stone on the tongue or wearing it the left side of the body is said to bestow the ability to see the future. Emeralds are considered to have great healing power, especially for the heart, lungs, blood, pancreas, eyesight, and lymph nodes. Healers also use emeralds to improve the immune system, lift depression, and restore mental and emotional equilibrium.

June—Pearl

June's birthstone, the pearl, has long been associated with love, innocence, purity, and femininity. Historically, these "teardrops of the moon" have been worn by royal brides as jewelry or sewn into wedding gowns—adored by cultures from ancient Rome to Spain, France, Italy, India, and China. Authentic pearls exist in two forms—natural pearls, found in the sea, and freshwater pearls, found in rivers. While the most desirable pearls are perfectly round white or cream, pearls are also black, pink, gray, blue, and gold.

Pearls are unique among gemstones as the creation of a living creature, the mollusk. Because pearls grow organically, they are believed to help the wearer get in touch with the simple, honest things in life. Pearls also bring out the personality traits of dignity, wisdom, calmness, integrity, and charity. It's believed these precious water-born gems can cure stomach disorders and prevent ulcers. Other healing properties of the pearl include calming stress, alleviating headaches, hypertension, and exhaustion, and preventing heart attacks.

July—Ruby

Ancient Hindus believed that July's birthstone, the deep-red ruby, had an internal flame that could never be extinguished. Rubies are second in strength to diamonds, yet because a perfect, translucent ruby is rare, they may be worth up to ten times more than a comparable diamond. Like diamonds, rubies are often given as symbols of everlasting love. While this luscious, crimson gemstone exists in various shades of red, the medium-dark or purple-red stones are most valued.

Rubies are believed to grow deeper in color when the owner is in danger. Myth says that Catherine of Aragon's ruby turned dark red the day before King Henry VII told her he was divorcing her. The fire within the ruby is thought to bring fire into the wearer's life through love, passion, imagination, and motivation. This vital red gemstone brings clarity and wisdom to the wearer, as well as the strength to resist self-destructive behavior. Wearing a ruby while sleeping is believed to bring lucid dreams, and dreaming about rubies is said to be a sign of impending wealth. This vivid red stone may help cleanse the blood of toxins, improve circulation, and ward off infections. Wearing a ruby is supposed to bring the owner a secure and peaceful life.

August—Peridot

August’s birthstone, peridot, is formed deep within the earth where it absorbs mystical and healing powers. In Hawaii, peridot is known as the “tears of Pele,” the goddess of volcanoes and fire, because it is found in molten lava. In the Middle Ages, Crusaders brought peridot to Europe from Egypt where it has been mined for over 3,500 years. Peridot exists in shades from lemon-green to olive, but bright lime is the most treasured.

Peridot is considered a visionary stone, bringing wearers an understanding of their existence and destiny. The calming color of this gemstone contains a joyful energy that helps build strong friendships, achieve marital fidelity, ward off anger and jealousy, and bring about a sense of peace. Wearing peridot can also increase confidence, patience, and assertiveness. As a healing stone, peridot reduces stress, purifies the blood, encourages tissue regeneration, aids in digestion, and wards off fever. Wearing peridot can aid those seeking to rejuvenate their life and discover their true destiny.

September—Sapphire

Sapphire, the deep blue birthstone of September, features prominently in many traditions and legends. Ancient Persians believed that Mother Earth rests upon a bed made of sapphire and that the sky is blue because it reflects this glorious gemstone. King Solomon was said to wear sapphire as protection. Sapphires and rubies are different shades of gem-quality corundum, a class of stone that's second in strength to the diamond. While the medium-dark blue is the most treasured shade of sapphire, the stone exists in a rainbow of colors, including purple, pink, yellow, green, and orange. Each individual color of sapphire contains its own magical and healing powers.

The blue sapphire is known as the “wisdom stone” and restores balance to a person’s life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also brings joy, lightheartedness, and serenity to the wearer. The blue sapphire is believed to open up communication between friends and colleagues and bring out truthfulness and honesty. The sapphire’s healing power is focused mainly on calming and maintaining the nervous system. It's also believed to heal the thyroid gland, strengthen blood vessels, and calm a nervous heart. Wearing a sapphire may help give a better understanding of the future.

October—Opal

The many-hued opal, October’s birthstone, is believed to reflect the mood of the owner. Ancient Romans looked upon the opal as a symbol of purity and hope. Arabs believed it fell from the heavens during thunderstorms, imbuing it with fiery colors. In truth, opal is found in the fissures of many kinds of rocks, and the rainbow of colors within come from the water that also forms this mystical stone. Opals range from creamy white to black with many colors in between. Most desirable is precious opal, which shows a variable interplay of internal colors, or the translucent fire opal whose warm colors range from yellow to orange to red. Each color of opal contains its own magical and healing abilities. Opal is the national gemstone of Australia.

Wearing an opal can bring out imagination, inspiration, originality, and creativity. This gemstone is said to release inhibitions and make the wearer “invisible,” if he or she does not wish to be noticed. Opals are used to induce mystical and psychic visions and elicit the true self of the wearer. The opal’s healing powers aid may help purify the blood, cleanse the kidneys, and regulate insulin. Because opals have a strong feminine link, they are thought to relax a woman during childbirth and calm women’s health issues.

November—Topaz

November’s birthstone, yellow topaz, has been warming hearts since the days of ancient Egypt and has been revered by many cultures. The name topaz comes from the Sanskrit word tapas, meaning “fire.” The Egyptians believed the yellow topaz received its golden color from the sun god Ra, and the ancient Romans associated the topaz with their god of the sun, Jupiter. Hindus believed the yellow topaz to be sacred; and in Africa the topaz was used for healing rituals to commune with the realm of the spirit. Although it was once believed that all topaz stones were yellow, actually the topaz exists in many colors, including clear, blue, green, sherry, brown, and pink.

The yellow topaz is considered a stone of strength, power, and protection. Because it's ruled by the sun, it bestows abundance and practicality. It also aids in stimulating intelligence and creativity. The heat of this fiery gemstone imbues a strong sense of true love and passion, as well as compassion, kindness, and empathy. As a healing stone, the yellow topaz is believed to bring a sense of balance to the wearer by relieving tension, calming stress, and harmonizing emotions. It also aids in tissue regeneration, counters aging, strengthens the liver, and detoxifies the body. This soothing gemstone also helps inspire a restorative sleep.

December—Turquoise

The soft sky-blue color of turquoise, December’s birthstone, has made it the “stone of heaven” for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians believed turquoise was a “stone of life,” and the earliest jewelry found containing this celestial blue stone was a bracelet on the arm of the mummy of Egyptian Queen Zar who ruled in 5,500 BC. Native Americans believe turquoise gemstones are sacred and bring energy from the sky to earth. Turquoise is generally found in desert areas where volcanic activity has occurred, and its color ranges from the cherished sky-blue to shades of blue-green.

Turquoise has long been considered a great healing stone by many cultures. When worn near a body part that's in pain, this energetic stone is said to absorb negative energies. A bracelet of turquoise is believed to detoxify the blood as it flows under it. Hanging a turquoise stone from the neck can help heal asthma, lung, and throat ailments. Headaches and ear infections are said to improve if a turquoise stone is worn in the appropriate spot. Turquoise, considered feminine in nature, has been used to treat many female disorders. This airy stone is also the symbol of wisdom, friendship, love, generosity, empathy, and optimism.