Born to Shine: The Timeless Allure of Vintage Birthstone Jewellery
For centuries, birthstones have been cherished as symbols of identity, protection, and fortune. Whether a tiny side-stone in an antique engagement ring or the striking centrepiece of a vintage pendant, a birthstone carries layers of significance and sentiment – particularly if it’s pre-loved and has a colourful story to tell.
This blog post is your one-stop guide to vintage birthstone jewellery, from the gemstones assigned to each month to famous examples of birth-inspired jewellery and practical tips for caring for your jewellery if your birthstone happens to be a little on the delicate side.
The Birthstone Jewellery Key: A Guide to Personal Gemstones
JANUARY | GARNET
Mohs hardness score: 6.5 – 7.5 / 10
Most widely recognised by its common deep red hue, the garnet is one of the oldest known gemstones and was favoured by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Garnets enjoyed their European heyday when vast deposits were discovered in Bohemia, Czech Republic, in the 16th century – remaining highly popular before dropping off a little in the Georgian era. In addition to its January birthstone status, garnet is associated with the second anniversary and considered by various cultures to possess protective qualities.
FEBRUARY | AMETHYST
Mohs hardness score: 7 / 10
Because of its wine-like colour, early Greek legends associated amethyst with Dionysus, the god of wine and pleasure. Other legends reflected beliefs that amethyst kept its wearer clear-headed and quick-witted in battle, in business affairs and whilst drinking wine. The amethyst has subsequently been associated with clarity and calm ever since. Deep purple amethyst has been set in religious jewellery and royal crown jewels for centuries, from bishops to the British crown jewels. It was once considered equal in value to ruby, emerald, and sapphire. Amethyst is particularly common in Georgian and Edwardian mourning jewellery, its purple hue closer to black than any other precious gemstone.
Though best known for her love of diamonds, Elizabeth Taylor famously owned an incredible amethyst sautoir necklace (a long necklace suspending a tassel or another ornament) by Bulgari, aligning with her February birthstone.
MARCH | AQUAMARINE
Mohs hardness score: 7.5 – 8 / 10
Aquamarine, thought historically to embody serenity and encourage amiability in its wearer, gained prominence during the 1920s. Its large crystal size and relative affordability in comparison to ‘cardinal’ gemstones made it possible for Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewellers to revolt against the stiffness of Victorian etiquette and design, creating striking, weighty designs inspired by nature and animals. Its natural clarity lends itself generously to angular baguette, emerald and step-cuts, designed not for high sparkle but to celebrate a gemstone’s colour and inherent lucidity.
APRIL | DIAMOND
Mohs hardness score: 10 / 10
The strongest natural material known to man, the diamond is widely regarded as the most enduring symbol of love and loyalty. The diamond’s desirability and resilience is the reason for its constant presence in jewellery design throughout time. Faceted by hand, organic old-cut and rose-cut diamonds were commonplace in the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras, whilst the advent of gemstone-cutting technologies drove the rise of symmetrical, geometric cuts like the baguette and the emerald-cut throughout the Art Deco era of the 1920s.
MAY | EMERALD
Mohs hardness scale: 7.5 / 10
Associated with Mother Nature’s greens, rebirth and vitality, emeralds have been historically favoured by royalty. The emerald was the birthstone of Queen Victoria, as reflected by her cherished collection of emerald jewellery pieces – whilst Audrey Hepburn and Catherine the Great also famously flaunted emeralds in homage to their May birthdays.
JUNE | PEARL
Mohs hardness scale: 2.5 – 4.5 / 10
The ‘golden age’ of pearls was between 1850 and 1930, when demand for ‘oriental’ pearls from the Arabian Gulf reached unprecedented heights, highly sought after by the great jewellery houses of Europe. Today, the natural pearl has become a rare gem, less common to find in jewellery as during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Associated with purity and wisdom, pearls often embellished intimate and sentimental jewellery during this era to convey personal messages celebrating love or expressing grief.
Though the pearl is much too soft to be worn in high-contact everyday jewels like engagement rings, it’s perfectly suited to occasional statement pieces like the Florence necklace from our Alchemista's Box collection. Marilyn Monroe, an adorer of her June birthstone, famously owned a single-strand pearl necklace gifted by Joe DiMaggio, which she wore regularly.
JULY | RUBY
Mohs hardness scale: 9 / 10
Loved for their internal flame – symbolic of passion – rubies have been valued highly throughout history. They became particularly prevalent in Europe during the late-1800s, when the British annexed Upper Burma (Myanmar) and took control of the high-yielding Mogok Stone Tract region, which at the time was the most abundant source of rubies in the world. Famous for their deep, natural red fluorescence, Burmese rubies were often set in foiled-back settings during the Georgian and Victorian periods to further enhance their hue.
Whilst Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring is more famous, Diana also owned and wore a lot of jewellery set with her ruby birthstone, including a ruby and diamond necklace given to her as a wedding gift from the Emir of Oman.
AUGUST | PERIDOT
Mohs hardness scale: 6.5 – 7 / 10
Peridot’s vibrant hue was enhanced in Victorian and Edwardian jewellery by yellow gold, its green complemented by ornate naturalistc motifs like leaves and flowers. It remained popular during the vivid, colour-driven years of the Art Deco era; cut into geometric shapes and often paired with diamonds or other colourless stones in contrasting, symmetrical designs. Known by the Ancient Egyptians as the ‘gem of the sun,’ the peridot is associated with light and healing.
SEPTEMBER | SAPPHIRE
Mohs harness scale: 9 / 10
A versatile and resilient stone of loyalty, sincerity and peace between two individuals, sapphires have always been a popular choice in jewellery design, particularly that gifted from one lover to another. From Queen Victoria to Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana, revered women throughout history have worn royal blue sapphires in their engagement rings, cementing this timeless gemstone as a coveted choice.
OCTOBER | OPAL
Mohs hardness scale: 5.5 – 6.5
Opals are widely prized today for their natural fire and play-of-colour, but fell out of favour in the 19th century due to a book written in 1828 by poet, novelist and historian Sir Walter Scott, who linked opals to misfortune and bewitchment. After vast opal deposits were later found in Australia in 1887, the opal saw a resurgence thanks to Queen Victoria, who dispelled superstitions by gifting opal jewellery to her children, friends and family.
Today’s international market for opals is credited to Tullie Cornthwaite Wollaston, a surveyor for Australia’s Geological Survey Department, who trekked 1,100km to the Queensland outback to buy opals from local prospectors, before selling them as a ‘trial’ to a firm in Hatton Garden, London. Before long, Australian opal had been introduced to famous jewellery houses who began to feature it in their designs, including Tiffany, Lalique, and Cartier. Opals have almost always been cut into cabochons because this cutting style best showcases their unique spectrum of colour.
NOVEMBER | TOPAZ
Mohs hardness scale: 8 / 10
It’s thought by some scholars that the name ‘topaz’ derives from the Sanksrit ‘tapas,’ meaning ‘fire’. The rarest and most valuable variety of topaz is the Imperial topaz, characterised by a rich golden-orange to pink-red hue. This variety was especially popular during the Victorian era, frequently set into ornate yellow gold designs as a symbol of wealth. Although topaz is relatively durable it has perfect ‘cleavage,’ meaning it can chip or break if set at the wrong angle. This characteristic makes well-preserved antique topaz jewellery particularly special, as careful craftsmanship and setting styles were needed to protect the stone.
DECEMBER | TURQUOISE
Mohs hardness scale: 5 – 6 / 10
In ancient Egypt, turquoise was worn by pharaohs and queens to symbolise fertility. Later, in the 19th century, ‘Egyptomania’ saw the rise of Egypt revival jewellery that utilised high volumes of turquoise, which was prevalent in Ancient Egyptian jewellery, carving and tomb decoration. It remained a popular choice into the Victorian era, when jewellery became a tool for communicating deep sentiments through floriography (or the language of flowers). Turquoise was likened to the hue of the forget-me-not flower and incorporated often into romantic brooches.
Caring for Your Vintage Birthstone Jewellery
The reason many birthstones are not commonly featured in everyday pieces like engagement rings and wedding bands is because they’re a little more delicate than the ‘cardinal gemstones’ (diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald). However, with a little understanding and care, they make for beautifully symbolic additions to a piece of jewellery and can be enjoyed for many years.
Particularly soft birthstones like June’s pearl, October’s opal and December’s turquoise are prone to scratching and chipping. For this reason, we recommend saving their wear for special occasions, particularly in the event that they’re set into a ring or bracelet, which is more likely to come into contact with abrasive surfaces than a necklace or pair of earrings. Likewise, it’s important that jewellery set with these gemstones is stored separately when not being worn.
The porosity of soft gemstones makes leaves them more vulnerable to water, cosmetic products and harsh chemicals than tougher gemstones; when cleaning, they should be wiped only with a soft cloth.
Though May’s emerald is not quite as delicate as some of the other birthstones, it’s the softest of the cardinal gemstones. It’s not uncommon to see an emerald set into a vintage engagement ring or wedding band, but you’ll notice that they’re often secured in bezel settings, enveloped deeply to prevent knocking and protect their edges.
Honouring an enduring desire for jewellery that we can connect with on a personal level, birthstone jewellery is timeless. Whether an antique Victorian engagement ring crowned with a sapphire for your life partner or an aquamarine cocktail ring as a gift to yourself on your birthday, birthstones celebrate identity and sentimentality - a truly meaningful way to wear history with your own sense of pride.
