Choosing a Birthstone Ring: Do Natural or Synthetic Gemstones Make a Difference?

For many centuries, birthstones have been linked to the dates of birth and were believed to of had special powers and capabilities. Although many cultures and folklore's may have different beliefs and selections of their chosen stones, they all believed that by wearing your birthstone, you would always be brought good luck.

Originally, many cultures assigned a specific gemstone to signify birth throughout each sign of the zodiac, but through time, it became common for a particular type of gem to only represent each month of the year, as opposed to the exact day and other astrological factors.

Gemstones were originally worn as pendants or amulets (a charm) and these pieces of jewelry were designed solely to protect the wearer from all evil spirits. When rings were first made, they did not have any gemstones in them whatsoever. Instead, they were a flat or rounded style ring made of gold, silver, or copper. Through time, gemstone rings evolved into society and as they did, the special powers that gemstones possessed, were also spread to rings with gemstones as well. The gemstone rings that are made today, still carry on with these very same beliefs.

There are several categories that make up different gemstones and myth's.

(A) The most prominent of course, is the birthstone ring. This ring contains a gemstone that represents every month of the year, which in turn, is related to a particular zodiac sign. Birthstone rings containing gemstones are still suppose to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. These rings are made with either a single gemstone for the owner, or it may contain several gemstones, one for each of her family.

(B) The anniversary rings are very similar to birthstone rings in that they are made for every year of marriage. The garnet gemstone will represent the second year of marriage and on the tenth year, the ring will be represented by a diamond and so on. These particular anniversary gemstone rings are a little more fancier and will generally include several small diamonds to help add a bit more glitter.

(C) The family birthstone ring is a special category of it's own, where each ring has a birthstone to represent each member of the family. The birthstones are set in the order of the child's birth, from left to right.

(D) The multi gemstone rings are basically the same as the family birthstone ring, except that additional gemstones are added solely for the belief that the combination of these stones will increase the effectiveness of the existing gemstones with special powers, as opposed to adding additional gemstones for family members.

(E) Engagement and wedding rings. Engagement rings are most often a gemstone ring with a few diamonds to add a bit of accent. These rings are a little more on the expensive side and generally use gemstones such as sapphires, emeralds and rubies, etc. The bands themselves are usually made of silver or gold.

(F) Mythological and religious rings. An example of this type of gemstone ring is the Navratan ring. Most prominent in Hindu mythology, this ring contains nine different gemstones, with each one possessing a special power of it's own.

(G) The historical jewels. The most notable and popular, is the Claddagh ring. These Irish friendship rings date back many centuries. They were originally made without the use of gemstones, but instead, were made with intertwining lines known as knot work. The continuity of these lines represented eternal life. Their belief was that there is no beginning and no end. Through the evolution of their designs, birthstones were eventually added.

Purchasing gemstones.

Shopping for gemstones can sometimes become very confusing, because the prices can be very different for similar looking jewelry. To add even more to the confusion, the jewelry language that is used in advertisements to label gemstones, such as genuine, natural, simulated, synthetic, treated, or even a combination of these terms, can only make understanding even more complicated.

Here are a couple of guidelines that can perhaps, be of some help when distinguishing the difference. The 'natural' gemstones are created by the natural creation of mother earth herself. Some gemstones have been in the earth's crust under extreme pressure for millions of years and have developed without any help whatsoever from human beings.

When we see these 'natural' gemstones in the display case, they might of been cut and polished, but they are still 'natural' gemstones. The 'genuine' gemstones are real gemstones also, but they're no longer 'natural' if they have been 'treated' to enhance their appearance. Most gemstones are naturally dull in appearance and had they not been treated in one way or another, they could not command the price that they do.

The synthetic gemstones share the same physical, chemical and optical qualities as the natural gemstones, but they were created in a laboratory. There is a synthetic version of just about every one of the popular gemstones and some of them are made up so perfectly, that it requires an experienced jeweler or gemologist to identify the difference.

Jewelry that is made with synthetic gemstones can be just as beautiful as jewelry made with natural gemstones and even though synthetics aren't exactly inexpensive, they should still cost less than natural stones of similar quality. Regardless of them being natural or synthetic and because they both have the exact same composition, the store from which you are purchasing these gems from should have disclosed this information and labeled them as to their origin. If you're in doubt, don't hesitate to question their ethics, or perhaps make your purchase elsewhere.

If you're purchasing expensive gemstones, especially those that are labeled natural, you may want to purchase them from either a company, or from an individual that you trust. You could even go as far as asking for verification from a respected laboratory before paying out top dollar.

It is always easier to shop for a particular color of a gem that you're after, than it is to shop for a specific type of gemstone. The gemstones that aren't generally treated include garnets, alexandrite, moonstone and peridot.

Birthstones based on the month of your birth:

January : Garnet

February : Amethyst

March : Aquamarine

April : Diamond

May : Emerald

June : Pearl

July : Ruby

August : Peridot

September : Sapphire

October : Opal

November : Topaz

December : Turquoise

Care of your birthstone.

Remove your birthstone ring before cleaning, swimming, gardening and applying make up. For all of your jewelry, remove before doing rough manual work or while playing sports. The stones could become chipped or jarred loose.

Remove your jewelry when working with household chemicals, such as being in contact with chlorine bleach. Chemicals can discolor and also damage your jewelry mountings. When not wearing your jewelry, be careful as to not have them tumble against each other, which can cause scratching and dulling. For the best protection, store each piece in it's own soft cloth pouch.
To maintain their beauty and luster, have a jeweler inspect and clean your jewelry at least once a year.