Birthstones originate in ancient sacred and astrological traditions, beginning with the biblical Breastplate of Aaron, whose twelve gemstones symbolised divine order, and later merging with Hellenistic astrology, where stones were linked to planets and zodiacal forces and worn as talismans. Early Christian and medieval traditions reinterpreted these stones as symbols of the Apostles, virtues, and months, viewing gemstones as living forces with spiritual and medicinal power. The modern system assigning one stone to each birth month was standardised in the early twentieth century for commercial clarity, simplifying a much older belief that gemstones embody cosmic energies connected to the moment of birth.