Birthstones Part 3 – The Origins of Western Birthstone Lists: from Traditional to Modern and Beyond

By Yaĝé Enigmus

In 1906, the National Association of Jewellers (today known as the Jewellers of America) was founded. This American organization met in 1912 and adopted their own official version of the birthstone list in an attempt to make the use of birthstones more standardized.

Below is the list developed by the National Association of Jewellers in 1912: 

An older British organization founded in 1894, the National Association of Goldsmiths, met in 1937 to develop their own birthstone list.

Below is the birthstone list adopted by the National Association of Goldsmiths:

*“Rock Crystal” is another name for colourless quartz

Since 1937, both of these lists have changed. In 1957, the Jewellery Industry Council of America amended the American list by adding alexandrite as a birthstone for June and citrine as a birthstone for November, while modifying October to cite pink tourmaline as the specific variety of tourmaline to be used as an October birthstone. At some point in the 20th century, sardonyx was removed from the American list and zircon was added as a birthstone for December. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite to the American list in 2002 as a birthstone for December, and in 2016 added spinel to the list as a birthstone for August in collaboration with the Jewellers of America (formerly the National Association of Jewellers). The inclusion of stones labeled as ‘alternative birthstones’ on this list also eventually changed, and all stones used in the American list are now considered ‘official’. The list used in Britain by the National Association of Goldsmiths has received modifications since its original development as well.

Below are the U.S. and UK birthstone lists as of 2016 and 2013 respectively:

With such a nuanced history, the lack of a single definitive list of birthstones is not surprising. Fortunately this means everyone has a significant number of options when choosing a birthstone. These birthstone lists and the practices that surround them have even been modified to produce birthstone lists for the day of the week, time of day, and even simply the season in which a person was born. 

In the next part of this series, discover other birthstone lists and which stones may match other elements of your birth date. 

© Yaĝé Enigmus