About 2,000 years ago, writers began pairing each of the stones and their attributes with the months of the year and the signs of the Zodiac, and with time, the mythology of birthstones evolved. People were expected to share the attributes of the stone related to their sign of the Zodiac or month of birth. This chart is from Jewelers of America. JANUARY GARNET (DARK RED)

FEBRUARY AMETHYST (PURPLE)

MARCH AQUAMARINE (LIGHT BLUE)

APRIL DIAMOND (CLEAR)

MAY EMERALD (DARK GREEN)

JUNE PEARL

JULY RUBY (RED)

AUGUST PERIDOT (LIGHT GREEN)

SEPTEMBER SAPPHIRE (DARK BLUE)

OCTOBER OPAL

NOVEMBER CITRINE (YELLOWISH ORANGE AMBER)

DECEMBER BLUE TOPAZ (MEDIUM BLUE)