2005-09-06 22:40 ☼ post
UW’s Burke Museum has an interesting online birthstone collection up that Gena Schwam put together.
The lure of birthstones
The basic human need to own and wear materials we deem “sacred” or special is what drives us to collect rocks and minerals. Perhaps this explains the lure of birthstones; how powerful it is to have our month of birth represented by a beautiful natural gemstone. We can own and display our special stone and feel embraced by its beauty.
I didn’t realize that jade was an alternate birthstone for people born in August (peridot is the primary). That makes the jade earrings that I bought at the Smithsonian for Mary’s birthday back in August of 1999 all the more fitting.