Birthstones at Neves Jewelers

The January birthstone, garnet, is thought to keep the wearer safe during travel. Representing peace, prosperity, and good health, some say the one who is adorned with garnet will be granted eternal happiness, health and wealth.

The February birthstone, amethyst, is said to strengthen relationships and give its wearer courage. At one time, only royalty could wear the gem. Amethyst is prized for its associated qualities of peace, courage, stability, sincerity and strength that apparently is bestowed upon the wearer. Aside from the aesthetic value, this gorgeous stone encourages creativity and spirituality while fully embracing the essence of love and passion.

The March birthstone, aquamarine, in resemblance to the color of the sky and water, this stunning gemstone embodies the concept of eternal life. Aside from aquamarine's aesthetic, the stone is believed to preserve and enhance the mental health as well as the spirit of the wearer. Aquamarine is the stone of empowerment because it induces patience, courage, and compassion. The cool and calm light blue renews the spirit of the wearer opening one's awareness to an inner ocean of relaxation, knowledge, and creativity.

The April birthstone, diamond, in addition to being a symbol of everlasting love, was once thought to bring courage. It is believed that the diamond grants the wearer better relationships, increase inner strength, balance, clarity and abundance.

The May birthstone, emerald, was one of Cleopatra's favorite gems. It has long been associated with fertility, rebirth, and love. Ancient Romans went so far as to dedicate this stone to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Ultimately, the wearer of an emerald gemstone is granted relaxation, serenity, and joy which makes the perfect recipe for transformation and enlightenment. Today, it is thought that emeralds signify wisdom, growth, and patience.

The June birthstone, pearl, has long been a symbol of purity. The ancient Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The pearl symbolizes purity and innocence, which is the main reason why it is a tradition for the bride to wear pearls on her wedding day.

The second June birthstone, Alexandrite, has been thought to bring luck, good fortune and love. It is considered to be a stone of very good omen. It opens the crown chakra, bringing one access to the warm, healing energy and love of the universe. It is also said to strengthen intuition, creativity, and imagination.

The July birthstone, ruby, was regarded by ancient Hindus as the "king of gems." It was believed to protect its wearer from evil. Today, the ruby's deep-red color signifies love and passion. The color red is associated with intense emotions like passion and fury as well objects of power and desire like fast convertibles and roses. It's even synonymous with the blood that runs through our veins giving us the gift of life and energy. The stone grants the wearer an open-hearted willingness to take risks, the energy to move forward, and success in love and wealth. The glowing red of a ruby signifies an undying flame of beauty, wisdom, protection, and spirituality.

The August birthstone, peridot, symbolizes strength. Known as the "gem of the sun," in ancient times it was believed that peridot was a gift of Mother Nature to celebrate the annual creation of a new world. Also known as "the Evening Emerald" because its sparkling green hue looks brilliant any time of day, peridot is said to possess healing properties that protect against nightmares and evil, ensuring peace and happiness.

The second August birthstone, spinel, comes in a painter's palette of colors: orange, intense "stoplight" red, vibrant pink, and all shades of purple, blue and violet through bluish green. Fine specimens became the treasured property of kings and emperors. Spinel is believed to promote health.

The September birthstone, sapphire, was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. It was believed that a venomous snake would die if placed in a vessel made of sapphire. Traditionally a favorite stone of priests and kings, the sapphire symbolizes purity and wisdom. Traditionally, the classic Blue Sapphire has represented a promise of honesty, loyalty, nobility, sincerity and integrity. Since ancient times, they have been associated with focusing the mind, maintaining self-discipline and channeling higher powers.

The October birthstone, opal, symbolizes faithfulness and confidence. The name "opal" originates from the Greek word opallios, which meant "to see a change in color." And because the stone possesses a kaleidoscopic range of colors similar to all the other gems, the Romans thought it was the most precious and powerful of all.

The second October birthstone, tourmaline, derives from the Sinhalese words tura muli, which mean "stone of mixed colors." The meaning of the gemstone's name perfectly fits its description with its broad spectrum of colors. We are all aware that rain leads to rainbows which makes a rainbow a natural metaphor for 'good things coming out of bad.' Therefore, the tourmaline becomes a symbol of victory, adventure, positivity, luck, tolerance, and joy.

The November birthstone, topaz, is widely known for its golden color but it can also be found in blue and pink. Regardless of the color, it is believed to bring prosperity when worn. Topaz also symbolizes love and affection. It is believed to give the wearer increased strength and intellect. This lustrous gem is a calming stone that balances emotions, releases tension, and can bring a warming joy into your life. Known for their calming energies, bringing warmth and fortune to those who wear them, yellow topaz is a soothing stone that has been said to calm tempers, cure madness and eliminate nightmares.

The second November birthstone,citrine, pale yellow in color, closely resembles topaz, which explains why November's two birthstones have been so easily confused. The brightness of the gem is believed to be bring self-confidence as well as positive energy. Citrine is a radiant stone with bright energy which lights up many aspects of life for those who wear the stone and does not absorb any negative energies from its surroundings. In the mental arena, citrine enhances mental clarity, confidence, and will power. The mental clarity and confidence support bringing increased positivity, creativity and honesty to manifest fresh beginnings.

The December birthstone, turquoise, is regarded as a love charm. It is also a symbol of good fortune and success, and it is believed to relax the mind and to protect its wearer from harm. Turquoise rings, in particular, are thought to keep away evil spirits. It benefits the overall mood and emotion by balancing and inducing a sense of serenity and peace. The gem is known to restore calm after a storm, relieve stress, neutralize extremes, moderate aggressiveness and deal with rage. It brings focus back to the center heart. In lighter shades, turquoise energy promotes inner harmony and peace helping one to recognize the causes of happiness and unhappiness, and to master them.

The second December birthstone, blue topaz, is a symbol of love and affection, and has been said to be an aid to ones sweetness and disposition. Topaz is used to promote good fortune. In fact, it has been said that dreaming of topaz may indicate that good fortune is on its way.

The third December birthstone, tanzanite, was discovered in 1967 in northern Tanzania, which remains the world's only known source. Its velvety, purplish blue color sets it apart from all other gems. Tanzanite is said to give its wearers balance.