Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — Stone of the Month

The word ruby comes from the Latin word "ruber" which means red. The ruby is a red variety of the mineral Corundum, which is one of the hardest minerals known to us and is found in metamorphic rock. Unless the gem is the color red, which it gets from traces of chromium, it is considered a sapphire. The ruby stands for heat and power and was often used as bullets for blowguns, to heat water or as a cure for indigestion. The ruby, which in Sanskrit is called "ratnaraj" meaning "King of Gemstones", was in ancient Indian thought to protect against misfortune...

The birthstone of the month of June is the Pearl. The word pearl comes from the Latin word "pirum", which means pear and refers to the shape of the "stone". I say "stone", because pearls aren't really stones; they are formed whenever an irritant, which can be anything from a parasite to a small fish, lodges in the flesh of an oyster, mussel, or clam, which leads to the production of a protective substance called nacre. Over the years one layer after another coats the intruder, creating a pearl. However, just like with any stone, there are many myths surrounding...

The Emerald is the birthstone of the month of May. Emeralds, known for their beautiful deep green color, is amongst the oldest known gemstones. It has existed on earth for more than 2600 million years and was first found by humans in Egypt. However, these mines have been exhausted for a long time.  The Ancient Egyptians believed in the power of these beautiful stones. To them, the color of the stones represented good luck and well-being. In ancient Rome, emeralds and the color green was associated with Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Even today green is still considered a the...

The birthstone of the month of April is the diamond. The diamond is surrounded by many different stories, most of which involve eternal love and wealth. The ancient Hindus gave the diamond the name "Vajra" (which means lightening), because of the way it reflects light and its extreme hardness. Unlike the Hindus the ancient Greeks believed that the fire of a diamond reflected the flame of everlasting love. The Archduke Maximilian of Austria agreed with them and in 1477, he gave a diamond ring to his fiancee, Mary of Burgundy, which is when the tradition of proposing with a diamond...

So we are continuing our Stone of the Month series with the aquamarine, the birthstone of March. The name of this stone comes from the Latin words 'aqua' meaning water and the word 'mare' meaning sea, which immediately describes its light blue color. Greek and Roman sailors also wore the aquamarine to prevent sea sickness and to get them home safe. The aquamarine is a favorite of many, due to its beautiful color, which it gets from the iron in it and which can range from a very light blue, to a blue with a green tint, to even a...