This list was updated by the Jewelry Industry Council of America and later by The American Gem Trade Association to include new types of birthstones for certain months of the year.The gemstone Aquamarineis the modern March birthstone. In 1912, the American Council Association of Jewelers (which is currently known as the Jewelers of America) created a standardized list of birthstones in the United States. The Ratna Pariksha, a fifth-century Hindu text, linked specific gems to deities, celestial bodies, and days of the week, while Vedic astrologers recommend certain gems to individuals based on their astrological birth chart. Birthstones are also found to have origins in Eastern Culture. However, the custom of wearing an individual gem per month didn’t begin until around the 15th or 16th century in Germany or Poland. Their origins are believed to trace back to biblical times, and the first-century historian Flavius Josephus associated the 12 gemstones on Aaron’s breastplate in the Book of Exodus with the months of the year and the 12 zodiac signs. You can also, of course, wear it as jewelry, says Roques-O’Neil, whether for courage or as a motivating force when you are stuck.īirthstones are gemstones that represent a person’s birth month or zodiac sign. When you meditate, you can hold bloodstone in your palm, which can help you manifest your aspirations. To harness the protective and cleansing properties of this March birthstone, you can opt to carry it around in a pouch or purse, or place it in your home. Bloodstone’s grounding properties help ensure they stay in alignment. These chakras represent the relationship to the physical world, and earthly matters such as survival, pleasure, and power.

Roques-O’Neil adds that bloodstone has close connections to three chakras-namely, the base, sacral, and solar plexus chakras, which are collectively known as the lower chakras. Much like aquamarine, it encourages you release what’s holding you back, allows you to channel energy productively, and keeps you grounded, so you can progress with intention, rather than charging forward with abandon. It clears stagnant energy that causes mental and emotional blockages that often muddle perspective while helping you visualize a path forward. This stone is also known for its clarifying properties. Rather than getting fixed or attached to how a conversation should go, aquamarine washes any stress or tension from your mind and helps you to go with the flow.” Roques-O’Neil adds: “It encourages a quiet calm, so that you can access your own inner wisdom and communicate that without fear.” As Heather Askinosie, co-founder of Energy Muse, previously told Well+Good: “This crystal helps you stay present and be flexible when communicating with others. In addition, aquamarine is closely connected with the throat chakra, helping people communicate clearly and spread their truth. “It connects you with your inner wisdom,” she says-which might be what’s needed to release what no longer serves you. For those who have trouble letting go, be it of an unhealthy relationship or forces outside your control, aquamarine may also be beneficial. Individuals with low self-esteem or who have a tendency to be reactive when they’re emotional can benefit from having it on hand. This calming stone can also help people cultivate more compassion towards themselves and others, says Roques-O’Neil. “Because they have a tendency to be off with the fairies, what they need is clarity and the ability to step out of that dreamworld,” she says. One of the defining Pisces personality traits is that they often live with one foot in a dreamworld and one foot in reality. According to Roques-O’Neil, this makes it particularly helpful for Pisceans. It helps “soothe emotion and bring peace,” says Ellis, helping to calm the mind and offer the clarity of crystal-clear waters. Today, the gemstone is known for its calming and balancing properties. “They were very much used by ancient society like the Egyptians and the Greeks and Romans for protection, strength, and healing, and sometimes for divination.” It’s also been said that Roman sailors used it as protection while at sea and to appease the Roman god Neptune when traveling through rough waters.

“It’s very symbolic of the sea and the reflection of the sky and the sea,” says Therapie owner Michelle Roques-O’Neil, a healer who has been working with crystals for more than 20 years.

March birthstone aquamarine