Birthstones are gemstones that represent the month of a person’s birth. As an example, emerald is the birthstone for the month of May. So, people born in May have emerald as their birthstone.

The use of specific gems as “birthstones for a specific month” and wearing them in jewelry is a custom that began in eighteenth-century Europe and quickly spread to the United States. The practice became popular in the United States, and in 1912, the American National Retail Jeweler’s Association (now named Jewelers of America) adopted a standardized list of monthly birthstones which went into use by jewelers throughout the country. Birthstone jewelry is still very popular in the United States.