Celtic engagement rings and the tradition of birthstones
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue – that is one wedding tradition we are all familiar with.
Over the time it has become very difficult to differentiate which engagement and wedding traditions belong to which nation – because lets face it every nation under the sun has a few traditions of their own. Add to that a good few movies – who knows who first came up with the idea of carrying the bride over the threshold. The Irish for example have the tradition that the bride’s veil should be put on by a happily married woman. It is meant to bring good luck to the bride and the new marriage.
It is easy to understand why one would be prone to a bit of superstition – we are forever talking about it and good luck is always welcomed.
And another tradition, which coincidently is as ancient as they come, is that you will be blessed with good luck if your Celtic engagement rings or your wedding ring for that matter has a birthstone on it.
What exactly is a birthstone?
A birthstone is a precious material, in most cases gemstones that corresponds with your month of birth.
It does sound simple enough, however birthstones have such a long history it does get a bit complicated once you get past this simple definition.
Birthstones or birthday stones as they are sometimes called have been used through centuries and by different cultures. For example did you know there are lists of Mystical Ayurvedic and Tibetan birthstones that date back thousands of years and were drawn from the Ayurvedic medicine?
But even though Ayurvedic practicioners have used them for centuries, there are some records that show birthstones actually gained in popularity in 15th century. Where did the trend originate? In Poland of all places. Because they are considered to be good luck and because it is also considered that birthstones have more prounounced properties during their corresponding month, it is the general opinion people switched birthstone every month to get the most out of their powers.
Another generally accepted story is that the list and the tradition of birthstones according to the month is drawn directly from the Breastplate of Aaron.
Breastplate of Aaron is a religious garment that had 12 gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel, but also it represented the twelve months of the year and the twelve signs of the Zodiac.
So different lists of birthstones do exist, but the generally accepted list is the most recent one (although recent might be a relative word here) and it was done by the American national Association of Jewelers in 1912.
It has to be pointed out, there are 2 school of thoughts about the birthstones – one considers it good luck that the birthstone corresponds to your birth month, while the second school thinks birthstone should correspond to your Zodiac sign. But the prevailing opinion is that if the color of the stone you pick for the engagement ring corresponds to the color of the birthstone that is enough.
And even if you do not like the color of your birthstone, there are after all alternative lists to consider – by all means this is not cast in stone.
This is the 1912 American Jewelers Association list of birthstones.
January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearl
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Opal
November - Topaz
December – Turquoise
All the lists aside, history has it that birthstones are considered to bring good luck. And brides-to-be are bound to love the thought put into choosing an engagement ring that not only has the birthstone that corresponds to her month of birth but also the good luck it is supposed to bring.
One might think this means a trip to some New Age jeweler, that could not be further from the truth. For example if you are Irish or have Irish ancestors it does not mean you cannot combine Celtic jewelry and the idea of a birthstone. You simply have to pick from a selection of Celtic engagement rings with Emerald, Sapphire or clear diamond and voila – it might be a Celtic diamond engagement ring but it does equal to a birthstone ring as well.
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