What Was Your Birthstone in 1909?
The birthstone list you know is younger than this book. When Julius Wodiska wrote in 1909, the “generally accepted” list still gave April to the sapphire, June to the agate, and August to the sardonyx — the jewelers’ associations only standardised the modern list in 1912. Pick your month and see what your stone was before the committee got to it.
The Zodiac Stones of 1909
The book also records an older reckoning — stones ruled not by month but by the signs of the zodiac:
| Stone | Sign | Period of influence |
|---|---|---|
| Garnet | Aquarius | January 21 – February 21 |
| Amethyst | Pisces | February 21 – March 21 |
| Bloodstone | Aries | March 21 – April 20 |
| Sapphire | Taurus | April 20 – May 21 |
| Agate | Gemini | May 21 – June 21 |
| Emerald | Cancer | June 21 – July 22 |
| Onyx | Leo | July 22 – August 22 |
| Carnelian | Virgo | August 22 – September 22 |
| Chrysolite | Libra | September 22 – October 23 |
| Aquamarine | Scorpio | October 23 – November 21 |
| Topaz | Sagittarius | November 21 – December 21 |
| Ruby | Capricorn | December 21 – January 21 |
A Stone for Every Day of the Week
By the old planetary rules, white stones (the diamond excepted) were to be worn on Monday; Tuesday — the day of Mars — was elected for garnets, rubies, and other red stones; Thursday was for amethysts; Friday — the day of Venus — owned the emerald; Saturday — Saturn’s day — claimed the diamond; while the topaz and yellow gems were appropriate to Sunday.
All of this lore comes from the chapter Birthstones and the Zodiac — along with the apostle stones, the cabalists’ twelve angelic gems, and more.