Gifting stones is quite an old tradition, and it has been most commonly done with jewelry. For the most part, people have gifted stones to commemorate anniversaries, birthdays, and of course for certain holidays, like Valentine's Day.
But is there anything more to this tradition? Stones have always been considered precious, sure, but what about the symbolic meaning?
The short version is, yes, there are symbolic meanings for some of them.
Holidays
For the holiday season, most commonly associated with Christmas, one of the most common stones to gift is the diamond. It's no secret that marketing has played a major role on the success of diamonds as a stone for gifting.
However, even before modern trends and events, diamonds made for a very expensive gift. Prior to recent deposits, the diamond was an exceptionally rare stone in terms of high quality for jewelry.
But enough about diamonds. We all know they rock. What other stones were there?
Sapphires were not necessarily an uncommon choice, as were rubies and emeralds. These stones have often been hailed as fairly prestigious stones worthy of royalty. When it comes to the holidays, it's, again, not hard to see why they are chosen.
The ruby's rich, red color has made it a welcoming addition for Valentine's Day. It's almost a stone that speaks for itself! Red, love, majesty, treating your beloved like royalty…you get the idea.
As for the sapphire, it is in the same spirit, but it is often gifted to those with whom you are very close. Emeralds represent prosperity, and it is often gifted as a "promise" stone.
But we know what you're thinking. You've seen some of this before. Of course diamonds and rubies are gifted during the holidays. Is there anything truly unorthodox?
Yes. Aside from the list that we created.
Onyx has had quite the peculiar history when it comes to jewelry. While many like onyx rings or pendants for their dark and smooth appearance, onyx, historically, was usually carved to make a cameo. These have largely fallen out of favor, however, in favor of more traditional and modest designs. However, they are supposedly making a comeback. But to say they are a holiday stone or a gifting stone traditionally would not be entirely correct. It's more that Victorian people had their chance to set it as a trend again and it just didn't stick.
Opal
One of the most famous gemstone legends is that opal can bring bad luck. This has seen a lot of variety over the ages, with myths saying you can't buy it for yourself or can't buy it when it's not your birthstone and so on.
We want to focus on the legend of gifting opal, of course! Now, it should be said that opal does not bring bad luck. There are numerous reasons as to why this legend persists, and you can read it in the article we have written about the subject.
At any rate, the myth goes that one cannot buy opal for oneself. If you buy opal, the legend says, then you have to gift it. Strangely, there exists another version of this myth. It says that the mere act of gifting someone opal is bad luck and anyone being gifted opal should refuse it.
Wait. Isn't that contradictory? Yep. If that doesn't say this is just some bogus myth, then we're not sure what will! So, you don't really have to worry about the bad luck part of it, since it doesn't make any sense.
Anniversary
Of course, stones also frequently appear for anniversaries. There are numerous lists of what stones are great for anniversaries. In fact, we even have one of our own.
There isn't really much of a formal list, but you can bet that the common choices are rubies, sapphires and diamonds.
However, there are a few interesting choices that appear on the list, such as labradorite being a good gift for your fifth anniversary. Peridot can stand to honor your great ten years, too!
Your anniversary really is your own personal holiday, so it's a natural fit that this stone would appear on this article, right?
The Wrap-Up
Stones have always made for a rather popular gift throughout history. This isn't very surprising, since stones have a lot of value, and we love to give our loved ones something of value or cement our many years together with something that has lasted for millions!
Whether it's for the holidays or Valentine's Day, gemstones can make for excellent gifts. Maybe your next gift will be a diamond, a ruby or even the opal! (Don't worry about that myth, really!)