Many traditions stemmed from this spiritual belief in gemstones, and the most commonly known tradition is the birthstone. Birthstones originate as one of the oldest traditions that began on the premise of how a colored piece of molten rock can influence one’s life.

The tradition of the birthstone is believed to have originated in ancient India and Babylonia. These civilizations contributed mystical powers to gemstones and associated these powers with a highly scientific and complex belief system. But it was Indian sages that gave rise to a system of matching gems with birth dates. They believed the gems held special powers that could be transferred to anyone who wore the stones.

The power of the birthstone was further enunciated by both the Indians and Babylonians, whose belief in the way planets lined up in connection with certain stones led the way to our Western traditions of matching birthdays with certain gemstones. This tradition continued to make its way through the centuries, experiencing a surge and decline in popularity.

The tradition of jewelry with birthstones has survived the test of time, and the list was finally modernized in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers. The group used six of the originating stones and added new stones, such as the tourmaline. They also moved stones, like the ruby, around and assigned them to new months. Despite much criticism, this is now the chart we use to attribute gemstones with a specific birth month.