April Birthstone Diamond

Monthly birthstones symbolize the month of birth according to the Gregorian Calendar.

The ancient Hindus called the Diamond "Vajra," meaning lightening, both because of the sparks of light thrown off by this gem as well as its invincible strength. The Diamond is harder than any other substance on earth.

The April birthstone of the Diamond is considered to be the birthstone for Aries (The sign of the Ram) and relate to those born between March 21 - April 19. The Zodiac sign of Aries also responds to Bloodstone, Topaz, Sapphire, Jasper, and Aquamarine

March Birthstone - Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the birthstone for March.

Zodiac sign: Pisces (20 Feb - 20 March) & Aries (21 March – 20 April).
It is also the 18th and 19th wedding anniversary stone.


Aquamarine is a "stone of courage." It helps people to learn quickly and to use knowledge in "always being prepared." The energy of aquamarine is both flowing and structured. It cna protect against polutants. Aquamarine helps in achieving higher levels of consciousness and in the ability to understand complexities. It brings order, tolerance and moderation.


Folklore and Mythology of Aquamarine
Aquamarine was traditionally worn by sailors to protect them from the water and against storms. Aquamarine has also been used to protect against gossip. In medieval Europe, aquamarine was beleived to re-awaken love in a marriage and to make soldiers invincible in battle. The Greeks beleived that aquamarine would absorb the energy of young love and was considered the best gift for a groom to give his bride after consumnating their marriage.
It was popular among European royalty to wear aquamarine as an antidote to poison.
Ancient Romans used Aquamarine in treating ailments of the stomach, liver and throat.

Healing Properties of Aquamarine
Aquamarine is beneficial in the treatment of swollen glands. It can also be used to strengthen glands, teeth and bone structure. Aquamarine is especially excellent in treating the eyes

Aquamarine - Care

To clean your aquamarine, avoid harsh detergents.

Wash with warm, soapy water.

Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are usually safe ♥

Aquamarine - a Definition

Definition of Aquamarine - the March birth stone:

The word Aquamarine is derived from the Latin words "aqua marina" which means "sea water" . in reference to the color of the crystals.

The Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate) family, used as a gemstone in jewelry.

Its crystal structure is hexagonal.

Alternative birthstones list

The Traditional Birthstone list has some variations on the most common list.
This shows some societal birthstone traditions, many going back to the 15th C.

January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Bloodstone
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Moonstone
July - Ruby
August - Sardonyx
September - Sapphire
October - Tourmaline
November - Citrine
December - Turquoise
many stones come in several colours of the spectrum.
Garnet, for example, which is so often regarded as being simply red, is in fact also available in green, orange, yellow, white and purple – virtually every colour in the rainbow except blue.

LIST OF BIRTHSTONES

LIST OF BIRTHSTONES
There have been many different sets of birthstones used throughout history and in different cultures.
This is the list most commonly used nowadays:
January's Birthstone Garnet
February's Birthstone Amethyst
March's Birthstone Aquamarine
April's Birthstone Diamond
May's Birthstone Emerald
June's Birthstone Pearl
July's Birthstone Ruby
August's Birthstone Peridot
September's Birthstone Sapphire
October's Birthstone Opal
November's Birthstone Topaz
December's Birthstone Turquoise

Zodiac Gemstones

Some Gemstones have come to be associated with the twelve signs of the zodiac. Those born under a particular sign are thought by some people to be influenced by that sign and to share common traits, emphasized by wearing their zodiac stones.

Here is a list of Zodiac stones:
Aquarius (January 22 - February 18): Amethyst and Moonstone
Pisces (February 19 - March 20): Aquamarine
Aries (March 21 - April 19): Diamond
Taurus (April 20 - May 20): Emerald
Gemini (May 21 - June 20): Rock Crystal
Cancer (June 21 - July 22): Pearl
Leo (July 23 - August 23): Onyx
Virgo (August 24 - September 22): Sapphire
Libra (September 23 - October 23): Zircon
Scorpio (October 24 - November 21): Opal
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21): Topaz
Capricorn (December 22 - January 21): Garnet and aquamarine

October Birthstones - Opal and Tourmaline

October has been associated with 3 gemstones: Opal, Jasper and Tourmaline.

while the gemstones associated with the zodiac are for

Libra (September 23-October 23) : Opal and smokey quartz
for Scorpio (October 24-November 22) : Topaz and Malachite

I have chosen to introduce you to Opal and Tourmaline.

Opal: Derived from the Latin "Opalus" , which means "Precious stone"

Opal was thought to protect the wearer from disease and to possess the gift of prophecy

They are found mainly in Australia, Mexico and the U.S.A

It is believed that they convey hope, innocence and purity. The Traditional Metaphysical Properties for the October Birthstone Opal are happiness, faithfulness, loyalty and confidence. The healing properties are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to the eyes and eye infections. The Opal is also used to enhance visualization, imagination, dreams and healing.



Tourmalines exist naturally in a myriad of colors: yellow, green, blue, pink, red, brown, black. Some even have bi-colored properties. A valued bi-colored variety of tourmaline, found in Brazil, is called the "watermelon."



Watermelon Tourmaline is a unique stone. It balances the yin and yang in the body. Wearing a slice of watermelon tourmaline will allow you to understand matters in a more balanced way. Watermelon tourmaline draws joyful and understanding love to you. Meditate with a slice of watermelon between your hands and understanding of the beauty of the universe may come to you. Watermelon tourmaline is reddish-pink encircled by green

The curious Lore of Birthstones - October - Tourmaline

Written by Catherine Marche

Tourmaline and opal are the birthstones of the month of October. Tourmaline is the national gemstone of the United States. It comes in many shades of greens, reds, pinks and yellow to brown, including orange.

The main beauty of tourmalines is its varied and magnificent range of colors. Colors in every hue, shade and nuance grace this stone. Some tourmalines even have more than one color. The color depends on the place of origin: SriLanka possesses Rubellite which is blessed with colors of ruby ranging from pink to red. Malawi produces bright yellow tourmalines. Paraiba tourmaline is a turquoise-y blue stone, with copper and sometimes traces of gold. While Brazil is home to green and bluish green tourmaline.

This gemstone has many names: Rubellite for red, Indicolite for blue, Chromolite (rich green), Canary (bright yellow), Watermelon (green-edge and red-heart combo) Paraiba ( intense green to rich blue), Bi-color (more than one colored), Cats eye (variety of colors) and Color-change (Color changes with light from red to green ). Rest of the tourmalines are just called with the color prefix like pink-tourmaline. The color of the stone takes a different hue depending on the mineral and the proportion in which is present in it.
Tourmaline is quite a hard stone with it hardness being between 6.15 and 7.5. Tourmalines must be protected from scratches and blows.

Green Tourmaline meaning
All the tourmalines contain a wide scope of healing effects. The multi-colored tourmalines combine several qualities.

Green Tourmaline (also known as Verdelite) brings a joy for life. It promotes an appreciation for the many wonders that life has to offer. It encourages patience and openness, as well as sincere interest in fellow human beings.

The magical uses of this stone include the stimulation of creativity. It is also used to attract money and success in business.

Healing properties of green tourmaline
Green tourmaline strengthens the heart and offers detoxification effects.

Black Tourmaline (Schorl) Gemstone meaning
Rub black tourmaline for luck and happiness. This is a powerful stone and a very lucky stone. When the tourmaline is rubbed it becomes charged with magnetic electricity and the luck intensifies.
Colored Tourmaline
Tourmaline is black, but also shades of red, pink, green, blue and what is known as watermelon tourmaline, which is a crystal with green on the outside and pink in the middle. The green tourmaline brings success. The pink tourmaline will bring love and friends. Tourmalated quartz aids peace of mind. It is found in many countries including Burma, United States, Brazil and Zimbabwe.
Healing properties of Black Tourmaline
Tourmaline uses differs as its colors differ. All colors are very powerful and it must be used carefully. Each person seems to react differently to Tourmaline. It has been used with intestinal problems, but only a healer should use it. Black Tourmaline pushes all negativity away.
Pink Tourmaline gemstone meaning
Pink tourmaline is a gentle stone that directly touches the heart! The color varies widely from pale pink to deep red
Relaxing and nurturing, pink tourmaline is associated with feminine energies. It vibrates a deep resonance with the heart chakra. It has the potential to heal emotional wounds with its soft, soothinig energy to bring feelings of comfort and safety.
Pink Tourmaline opens your ability to surrender to love!
Emotional balancer and cleanser
Alleviates stress and obsessive behaviour
Assists in changing patterns to better align with spiritual growth
Radiates kindness, tolerance
The watermelon tourmaline is a rare variety that displays three different colors in the same crystal - green (the skin of the watermelon), pink (the sweet fruit) and white (the rind). As in the gem stone ametrine, the colors of the watermelon tourmaline occur 100% naturally. This is a rare occurence in nature.

What watermelon tourmaline can do for you

Attract love
Balance the male and female energies within yourself
Remove imbalances (and guilt) caused by conflicts and confusions
The green part feeds your life force, while the pink soothes and harmonizes

Healing properties of watermelon tourmaline
All of the tourmalines offer strong healing effects. The watermelon variety encourages regeneration of the nerves, helps with paralysis and multiple sclerosis.

Sources of watermelon tourmaline
South Africa, Brazil, Mozambique, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.

Dravite (Brown Tourmaline) meaning
Dravite is a brown variety of tourmaline. It is an ideal stone for self-healing, aids in finding emotional strength and self-acceptance. Dravite inspires courage and persistence. It calms and soothes, grounding and stabilizing the inner self.

Use Dravite with these compatible stones to clear and ground the root chakra and provide psychic protection:

Indicolite is the blue color variety of the tourmaline mineral elbaite (quite rare). Its typical color is a more deeper almost neon blue than other blue gems such as aquamarine and blue topaz. Other varieties include a cat's eye variety, verdellite (green), rubellite (pink to red) and watermelon tourmaline (green outside and a red center). All elbaite specimens are strongly pleochroic meaning that they show stronger or even different colors when viewed from different angles. In indicolite, this causes the blue color to appear darker when viewed down the long axis of an uncut crystal. The gem cutter must be aware of this pleochroisim in order to maximize the color potential of the stone.