Unpopular Opinion: Birthstones Are BS
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| Gemstones at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. Image courtesy of Bryce Edwards via Flickr |
Having just completed my family with my third and final baby, I'm in the market for an important item in the standard modern American mom uniform: Mom jewelry.
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| Example of a birthstone "mom" necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs. Beautiful jewelry FYI. Not all items are mom related or feature birthstones. |
So, as I've been browsing the approximate MILLION options for mom jewelry, I've been thinking about these birthstones. I've known my whole life that "my" birthstone was aquamarine... but WHY? Suddenly I'm questioning WTF even is a "birthstone" and who the heck decided which ones went with which months and are these all just arbitrary choices that are only meaningful because an entire industry says so?! (Welcome to my brain)
Google it if you want to, but here is the concise version of what I found out by doing my own searches...
Multiple sources that I found online cite the origins as some biblical breast plate of Aaron in the book of Exodus. Apparently there were 12 different stones on his breast plate. Then, in the first century AD some "scholar" dude named Flavius "made the connection" between the 12 stones and the 12 zodiac signs. THEN in either 1560's Germany or the 18th century people in Poland (peeps disagree about which is more accurate) people began associating specific stones with specific birth months. Finally, in 1912 the National Association of Jewelers defined a specific list of modern day birthstones.
It's also worth noting that some sites talk about the mystical powers of different stones and how supposedly certain months are "more powerful" for various gemstones. What a load of shit. If you are reading this, then you're probably a friend of mine. And if you're a friend of mine, you probably know that any "mystical," "magical," pseudoscience tomfoolery is a thorn in my side. The very idea that anyone alive in 2018 believes that specific stones or crystals have any powers beyond that of "pretty" or "paperweight" is enough to thoroughly flabbergast me.
So, here's what all this means to ME... Yes, these birthstones are super arbitrary, they're based on a vague concept in one bible story, and they're a "Hallmark Holiday" of jewelry. I mean, there are even multiple lists of birthstones from "traditional" to "modern" and several months come with several options and different sites/companies offer different things... Blargh.
Basically, I'm just not into it. For one thing, the bible isn't that meaningful to ME personally. For another thing, the process from bible story to "tradition" is too vague and meaningless to excite me. Lastly, since I think of gemstones as pretty rocks, I'd just as soon pick the ones that aesthetically appeal me and aren't overpriced versus the ones that are supposedly going to give me "confidence" or the power of invisibility. Also, when it comes to my loved ones I think I'm more qualified to associate meaningful items or symbols or colors with them than the jewelry industry.
Important disclaimer: YOU DO YOU. I'm not in any way knocking people who are into birthstones. That's cool. They're pretty and varied and they hold meaning in our society/culture. Go for it! There are tons of gorgeous birthstone related necklaces and rings, etc. to celebrate yourself or your family or someone you care about a lot. I'm just saying, they aren't FOR ME.
I pretty much just blogged all this because I was curious, I did a bunch of reading about it, thought to myself "I wonder if anyone else thinks about these things," and quickly realized that a Facebook rant would be too long and annoying for most.
So here you go. One of many "Unpopular Opinions" from yours truly.
Now I'm off to keep looking at birthstone-free mom jewelry.
A Few Birthstone History Links:
"The History of Birthstones" by Gem Select
"The Unexpected History of Birthstones" by Curiosity
"How Were Birthstones Chosen For Each Month" by Wonderopolis
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