Carnelian, chrysolite, emerald, Ruby, lapis-lazuli, onyx, Sapphire, agate, amethyst, Topaz, beryl, jasper.
Two lists of precious stones, quite similar to those of the Book of Exodus, are given in other places in the Bible, one in Ezekiel xxviii. 13, where " every precious stone " is said to have been the covering of the king of Tyre, and again in Revelation xxi. 19-20, where twelve different precious stones are mentioned as garnishing the foundations of the wall of the Holy City. The names and order of these in Ezekiel are, in the Authorized Version, as follows:
Sardius, topaz, diamond, Beryl, onyx, jasper, Sapphire, emerald, carbuncle.
To these the Septaguint adds the following:
Chrysolite, ligure, agate.
The Revised Version gives marginally, ruby for sardius, carbuncle for emerald, and emerald for carbuncle. In Revelation the list as given in the Authorized Version reads as follows:
Jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, Emerald, sardonyx, sardius, Chrysolite, beryl, topaz, Chrysoprase, jacinth, amethyst.
The marginal renderings give lapis-lazuli for sapphire, and sapphire for jacinth.
Though in each of these lists only twelve precious stones are mentioned, there is nothing to indicate that their use was in any way connected with the months of the year. Just when it became the custom to designate each month by a particular gem, or how the custom originated, it is impossible to determine. The custom seems to have sprung up in modern Europe some time during the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Whether it originated in the twelve gems of Aaron's breastplate, as many believe, or was introduced by astrologers from the Arabians, as others think, is not yet known.
The modern practice of considering the stone of each month especially appropriate to persons born in that month is probably still more recent in its origin. In former times gems could be possessed only by rulers or the very wealthy, so that their general use in the above manner was not possible. But now that nearly every one can own
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