Gemstones have had special meanings since the time of the early Romans. Most early gemstones were not faceted, or cut into shapes, because that was considered vulgar. Rather they were polished as a cabochon or dome shape, much like star sapphires and rubies are today, left natural, or polished as beads.

Ancient Romans who could afford it often wore multiple rings each with a different meaning, ability to ward off evil, or encourage positive traits within the wearer.

Birthstones may be based on the Zodiac calendar or by the Julian calendar month. There is some overlap between the two. The modern selection of birthstones was developed by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912.

Fall Birthstones

Zodiac
Libra 9/23 - 10/23 Peridot keeps the wearer free from evil spells
Scorpio 10/24 - 11/21 Beryl provides protection from sadness or repentance
Sagittarius 11/22 - 12/21 Topaz protects but must be worn so it's visible

Calendar
September - Sapphire
October - Opal or tourmaline
November - Topaz

Winter Birthstones

Capricorn 12/22 - 1/21 Ruby gets the wearer out of trouble
Aquarius 1/21 - 2/21 Garnet guarantees true friendship
Pisces 2/22 - 3/21 Amethyst protects against the extremes of passion

December - Turquoise or lapis lazuli
January - Garnet
February - Amethyst

Additional Information

Peridot is a green stone ranging from pale yellowish green to a rich grass green. Most stones are lighter in color. The deeper green is more valuable. It's not a very hard stone so it won't wear well in rings or bracelets. The best choice would be earrings or a necklace. Peridot is an affordable stone.

Beryl comes in a range of colors. Green beryl is better known as emerald. The best emeralds are a vibrant almost spectral green. Emeralds usually have inclusions but these aren't as much a detractor from value as in other stones such as diamonds or rubies. The most valuable emeralds come from Columbia. Remember the movie "Romancing the Stone," and the huge Columbian emerald? Beryl comes in red as well.

Topaz is most usually found as a yellow stone. There is clear topaz and blue topaz. Clear topaz can be irradiated to become blue. As long as the color is permanent, and it usually is, it's considered an acceptable practice in the jewelry industry and doesn't have to be disclosed. A word of caution about deep blue topaz - in countries outside of the United States these deep blue stones may be radioactive and cause harm to the wearer. Stones purchased in the US will be safe.

Sapphires are made of the mineral Corundum as are rubies. Red corundum is known as ruby, all other colors of corundum are classified as sapphires. Corundum has a hardness factor of 9, only diamonds are harder. Sapphires come in lots of colors and clear. Pink, yellow, orange sapphires have been made into stunning jewelry. Clear sapphires can take the place of diamonds and are considerably less expensive. The most beautiful sky blue sapphires come from Ceylon.

Opals are not faceted, with the exception of Paraguay fire opals, as that destroys their beauty. They're polished. Most opals are white and display brilliant rainbows of colors within their depths. Black opals are the most valuable and rarer than white. Opals should be oiled to keep their radiance.

Tourmaline is a recently discovered gemstone and wasn't known in 1912 when the original list of birthstones was compiled. The stone is versatile and not only comes in many colors; often the same stone will exhibit two colors at once. Red and green is known as watermelon tourmaline. There is even a tri color tourmaline, blue, green and a third color.

Ruby is as mentioned above, the red variety of sapphires. In the United States rubies have to be a red color while outside the US any color of red, from light pink to brownish red is classified as a ruby. The most valuable and vibrantly red rubies come from Burma.

Garnet is best known as a brownish red stone but comes in many other colors except true blue. The best garnets approach a truer red and are more expensive than orange or brownish garnets. Green garnets are classified separately much like rubies are separated from sapphires and are known as tsavorites.

Amethyst varies in color from light violet to deep rich royal purple. The deeper colors are more valuable than the lighter stones. Amethysts are one of the few gemstones where larger stones are not highly unusual.

Turquoise is highly valued in Africa and Moroccan countries for its spiritual and medicinal powers rather than as a gemstone. The color should also be a vibrant blue leaning toward green. The greener the color the less valuable it is.

Whether you follow the Zodiac or the Roman calendar, no matter what the month of fall the birthstones are all beautiful and affordable.