Heart Birthstone Necklace

An elegant, eye-catching heart birthstone necklace dangles from the neck of a manikin in a store front display window, its beautiful sapphires blazing like the ocean at noon from the white gold pendant suspended on a nine inch chain. On the busy street outside, a man pauses at the window, thinking suddenly of his wife whose September birthday is only two weeks away; without another moment's hesitation he enters the store, buys the item, and hurries home, eager for his wife's special day. Of course, the woman loves it--everyone loves birthstone gifts; it is the one birthday jewelry item that never fails to please. A birthstone charm necklace is an excellent, thoughtful way to let the wonderful mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, or friend know how singular and how loved she really is. Gemstones have traditionally been thought to hold special meaning and have been used since Biblical times to make special designations, as in the making of the priests' garments for the Tabernacle: "In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper...There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel" (Exodus 39:10-14).

Almost every woman can remember opening a gift box containing a heart birthstone necklace at some time in life, usually when she was a little girl; she remembers how her breath caught at how beautiful the gold or silver was, how she touched the gemstone that signified her month of birth with awe and appreciation, and how she wore the special gift every day until it was lost or the chain snapped in half. There is simply something very memorable and touching about birthstone jewelry, which is why it is always a perfect choice for a female of any age. Adolescent girls and teenagers will appreciate a delicate silver chain with a heart pendant studded with gemstones; new mothers will love a birthstone charm necklace containing a baby booty with their new arrival's special stone in it; and a sentimental girlfriend will relish paired hearts accented with her and the boyfriend's names and birthstones. There are endless choices for a woman in any station of life, no matter what her fashion tastes may be.

One popular gift idea for mothers is to buy a heart birthstone necklace that contains the individual gemstones of each of her children. These can usually be purchased at department and jewelry stores with up to seven or nine stones, and, of course, there are always stores willing to customize if more stones are needed. Sisters will love receiving matching necklaces with each of their sibling's stones included. Of course, proud grandmothers would love to try to fit all twelve of their grandchildren's gemstones onto one necklace, so a charm item may solve this dilemma. There are many different ways to wear the gemstones of one's beloved, whether a shopper is looking for something cute, elegant, or uniquely trendy.

The first step in choosing this kind of jewelry is selecting the appropriate stone; gemstone options vary according to ancient, traditional, and modern standards. This is actually a very good circumstance because it may give people who do not like their standard birthstone color a few choices. The modern designations are as follows: garnet for January, amethyst for February, aquamarine for March, diamond for April, emerald for May, pearl for June, ruby for July, peridot for August, sapphire for September, opal for October, citrine for November, and topaz for December. Shoppers hoping to find another stone for their birth month should do a little online or in-store research, as they may discover a different option that better suits their taste and budget. For example, an October birthday girl who doesn't like opals might prefer pink tourmaline for a personalized birthstone charm necklace.

As always when shopping for gemstones, buyers need to be aware of the different types of stones; most important is the stone's origin. Natural gemstones come to the buyer straight from the earth, only cut, polished, and affixed to a jewelry setting--these are generally the most expensive because they are already high-quality and don't need to be altered in any way by humans. Still, a stone can be genuine without being natural; this simply means that it has been treated to improve its appearance, either by heat, radiation, laser, diffusion, or some other laboratory process. Synthetic stones, however, are entirely human made and laboratory grown; generally, they are the least expensive. Synthetic stones are a good choice for shoppers on a budget, especially if the heart birthstone necklace is for a child, as young wearers tend to lose and break jewelry pretty easily.

Deciding on a birthstone charm necklace doesn't mean the shopping is over because the possibilities for such an item are endless. Pendants may come in the shape of hearts, crosses, rings, angels, shoes, or even figurines of children. Chains may be in yellow gold, white gold, sterling silver, or platinum; and accented with diamonds, engravings, or other designs. In addition, shoppers will also find rings, earrings, bracelets, and more to match their specially chosen gift. One creative idea is to buy an entire set of birthstone jewelry, presenting its recipient with one piece at a time, perhaps at each holiday or life milestone: a necklace on her birthday, a ring at Easter, earrings at Christmas, a bracelet on graduation day.