The History of the Birthstone

The birthstone is a common present for birthdays. These stones can be given alone, though are generally placed in beautiful jewellery of all sorts and make the perfect present for anyone celebrating their birthday.

The origin of the birthstone began with the bible and is associated with Moses's brother Aaron. Aaron is claimed to have worn a breastplate that represented the Twelve Tribes of Israel and on this plate were 12 gems - one for each. These stones were placed across the plate in rows of three by four.

Deeper Links

However, the links between the birthstone and nowadays are not early as clear as just Judaeo-Christian links and they are used in association with the zodiac, which is said to have come about around the first century AD. The stones were connected by a couple of saints understanding them to have certain virtues and powers and it was then considered that each would be able to help out with particular problems, or ailments when worn at a certain time. Group on often provides such gifts for birthdays.

Others believe that the birthstone was actually a stone that emanated from an Indian religion, called the Vedic Astrological tradition. This was an ancient, astrological tradition and looked towards the 12 signs of the Zodiac for inspiration. These peoples wore stones for ailments and luck in the hope of benefiting.

Modern Times

However, even with these links, it was not really until about 2000 years later that the birthstone became what it now is. The modern day link of a stone with a birthday is said to have come about with the coming of Jewish traders to Poland in the 19^th century. These people sold gems for particular months, however though this went on for years and spread across continents, it wasn't until 1912 that a list of gemstones for birthdays was introduced. Fortunately, all of the list can be gotten often on Groupon groupon.

This list was drawn up over 100 years ago and has only been changed twice, though both of these changes came about in recent times and had amazingly to do with the introduction of the same stone on both occasions - tanzanite. The gem was now a new December gem, though not all traders agreed with its introduction.

Today

It is understood by some that the addition of new stones is there to only drum up money for the industry and has no basis. It would also hint at the fact that there are no super powers to be gained from the use of these gems - fortunate for those that don't have them so.

Tanzanite has not only been in the news as a monthly birthstone and in 2006 was pushed as the gemstone for all birthdays. The companies selling these gems were hoping that the gift of one of these stones would be given to all children regardless of their star sign or when they were born - a money making scheme?

Gifts

Birthstones have a long and quite mixed history and though there is an element of profiteering on people's birthdates, they do make wonderful gifts. From rings with these stones, to bracelets, these stones can really make a person's day.

Looking through daily deals sites and keeping an eye out for London daily deals, such as groupon.co.uk as they can really provide a great gift for someone, at a low cost price.

People love the thought involved with such gifts. Purchasing a loved one a birthstone is something even more personal than actually just giving someone jewellery. Great, birthstone jewellery from daily deal sites is something personal, and close to a person's heart and something they will always think of you, when they look at.

So, for the next person you want to treat, look at their stone and then give them a gift that will last a lifetime.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Article is written by Cormac Reynolds at www.D3ALS.co.uk providing and aggregation of Daily Deals, Hotel Deals, Holiday Deals, Spa Deals including many for Groupon.co.uk. Visit http://www.D3ALS.co.uk for more information on www.D3ALS.co.uk Products & Services. Copyright information. This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included. Visit www.D3ALS.co.uk for all your daily deals in one place and in one email.