April Birthstones

OK, so I've been avoiding writing about April Birthstones for some reason. Why? Been busy... traveling, working, family stuff, special orders & volunteer work. I should have had a few minutes to write it up, I had the research done long ago. So I'll ponder that a while.

April traditional birthstone is the diamond. A Girl's Best Friend if you ask Marilyn Monroe! Since diamonds are so expensive for the average person to be able to use in birthstone jewelry, somebody decided that any clear stone could be substituted: so, colorless topaz, sapphire, tourmaline, white zircon, Herkimer diamond or quartz are all great stones to use for April birthstones. The Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19) birthstones are Bloodstone, Diamond, Topaz and Jasper, and the Taurus (Apr. 20-May 20) birthstones are Sapphire, Turquoise, Amber, Coral, Emerald, and Aventurine, so those stones have also been used as April birthstones.

The Mystical birthstone for April is the white or black opal, with hints of fire.

The Flower for April is the Sweet Pea. The April Guardian Angel is Ashmodei. His Gem Talisman is Topaz.

Aries the God & Aries the ram are associated with the color red, all shades from scarlet to carmine. His Gemstone is Carnelian and red Jasper. Christianity also associated April with the apostle Phillip and Carenlians. I'm not sure what link there might be between Phillip and Aries, but that might be some fun trivia to discover.

Trees and plants associated with Aries include the Poppy, Honeysuckle, Bryony, Thistles and Ferns, Peppermint, Anemone, Alder, Blackthorn, Dogwood, Hawthorn, Pomegranate, Spruce and Weeping Willow.

Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus, and associated colors are pale blue, all shades of green, pink and yellow. Plants and trees that correspond with Taurus are Daisy, Dandelion, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Poppy, Rose, Apple, Blackthorn, Fig, Hawthorn, Pear, Vine and Willow.

So, April should be a good time to do a bit of gardening, then pull up a chair and sip some dandelion wine (or tea) while enjoying the fresh spring air and the marvelous abundance of growth all around.

Happy April!

Sources:
Love is in the Earth by Melody
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham
The Curious Lore of Precious Stones by George Frederick Kunz
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/time/apri.htm
http://idashshoptheworlddotcom.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/april-birthstones-diamonds-sapphires/
http://www.birthstones.org.uk
http://www.gemstoneartist.com/4.asp