Birthstone Research Paper

My Birthstone: Aquamarine

There are twelve months in the calendar and for each there is a birthstone. A birthstone is

a gemstone that symbolizes a person’s month of birth. Today, many believe that there could be a

connection between the twelve stones and the twelve signs of the zodiac. What is really

interesting is the fact that this believe goes back in time to the first century. According to

GemologyOnline.com, the connection between the stones and the zodiac signs go back in time to

the first century, when Jewish historian Josephus admitted a possible connection between the

stones and the signs. Each birthstone has a different name as well as different physical properties

characteristics like color, shape, density and hardness.
The first birthstone of the year is Garnet, this would be the birthstone for all those

individuals born in the month of January. Garnet comes in a variety of colors like red, green,

yellow and orange just to name a few. Its chemical formula is X3Y2 (SiO4)3, the common X

elements that make this rock are magnesium, iron and calcium. The Y common elements found

in the birthstone are aluminum, iron and chromium. The hardness of Garnet arranges from 6.5 to

7.5. This specific birthstone can be found in countries like India, and the USA. The name of the

second birthstone is Amethyst, this birthstone corresponds to all individuals born in the month of

February. The chemical formula for this birthstone is (SiO2), this means that this stone is

composed of Silicon dioxide. Something interesting about this stone, is the fact that it can only

be found in the color purple and its level of hardness is of seven. Today, Brazil is the main

source of this gemstone. For individuals born in the month of March like myself, Aquamarine

would be our gemstone. The color of this gemstone is blue and the level of hardness is of seven

and half to eight. The chemical formula is (Be3Al2Si6O18), this stone is mainly composed of the

mineral Beryl, and this is why this stone has that beautiful blue color. The main sources for this

stone are countries like India, Brazil and Australia. Next, is Diamond for all those born in the

month of April. The chemical formula for this stone is (C), meaning that this stone is composed

of carbon, and it has that name because Diamond is the name given to the crystal form of the

mineral and chemical element carbon. Diamond has a colorless color and its level of hardness is

of ten. This stone is really rare and for this reason it’s really expensive. Emerald (Be3Al2SiO6)

is the most famous and valuable green gemstone. Emerald would be the gemstone for those born

in May. The level of hardness of this stone goes from seven and half to eight. This stone has a

hexagonal shape and it can mainly be found in Colombia, Brazil and Afghanistan. Fallowing

Emerald comes Pearl (Be3Al2 (SiO3)6), Pearls are considered organic mainly because they are

formed by living organism this is why Pearls are so expensive as well as unique. The level of

hardness of Pearls goes from two and half to four and half. This stone has an orthorhombic shape

and it’s mainly composed of calcium carbonate. Pearls can be found in countries like India,

Australia and the United States. The seventh birthstone is Ruby (Al2O3Cr), Ruby has a beautiful red color that

comes from the chromium in the mineral. Today, Ruby it’s a very desirable stone because of its

hardness and durability. This birthstone has a trigonal crystal shape and has a level of hardness

of nine. The eight birthstone is Peridot ((Mg, Fe) 2SiO4), this stone usually has a lime to olive

green color, the intensity of its color depends on the amount of iron present in the mineral. Its

level of hardness goes from six and half to seven. Peridiot has an orthorhombic crystal shape and

it is actually mined in Arkansas, and Arizona but can also be mined in other parts of the world.
The birthstone for the ninth month of the year, September is Sapphire (Al2O3). This birthstone is

made out of Aluminum oxide, and it can found in any color except red. The level of hardness of

Sapphire is nine and its crystal shape is trigonal. Sapphire can only be mined in a few places in

the world, for example Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam just to name a few.

Tourmaline is the birthstone for the tenth month of the year October. The chemical

formula for Tourmaline is (SiO2•nH2O). This stone can be found in nearly any color. Its level of

hardness goes from five and half to six and it has an amorphous crystal shape. This stone is made

out of hydrated silica, which is considered a mineraloid. The main sources of Tourmaline are

Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia. Topaz is the birthstone of the month of eleventh month of the

year November. The chemical formula of Topaz is (Al2SiO4 (F, OH) 2), although this

birthstone has a blue or amber color it can also be found in any color.
The level of hardness of

Topaz is eight and it has an orthorhombic crystal shape. This stone is frequently found in the

United States, Australia and Brazil. The name of the last birthstone is Zircon (ZrSiO4), the

birthstone color of this stone is blue, however it can be found in any color all depending on its

minerals. According to sciencenotes.org, “some zircons contain radioactive uranium or thorium

and although they can be found throughout the Earth’s crust, large zircon crystals are rare. The

level of hardness of Zircon is of seven and half and it has tetragonal crystal shape.

In conclusion, although the twelve birthstones have a few similarities they also have a

few differences. For example some of the birthstones can have different colors all depending of

the minerals each stone is made of. Birthstones can also have different levels of hardness some

examples are Diamond, which is the hardest of the stones with a level of ten and Peridot which is

the lowest of the stones by having a level of hardness of six and half to seven. The reality is that

all of the stones are unique and each has a special meaning for each month of the year just like

zodiac
signs.