Schuetz

For believers in astrology, knowledge of birthstones is essential. At one point of life, anybody is bound to say he was 'just not lucky'! Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in the mouth.

Primary Birthstones

Generally, there are nine primary or main birthstones - one each for the nine planets and luminaries - as per Indian astrology. They are ruby, pearl, coral, emerald, yellow sapphire, diamond, blue sapphire, 'gomed' and cat's eye for sun, moon, mars, mercury, jupiter, venus, saturn, rahu and ketu respectively.

Permanent and Temporary

When and for how long should one wear a birthstone? Opinions differ. Some astrologers prescribe permanent wearing of a birthstone based on the birth chart or birth horoscope while some suggest wearing different birthstones in tune with the operating 'dasa' and transit influences. Sometimes, more than one birthstone is prescribed to offset the malefic effects of more than one planet or luminary.

Navratna

One interesting lucky ring is the one adorned with 'navratna' i.e., nine stones, all embedded on a single ring in smaller sizes to ward off evil effects or energies from all the nine planets and luminaries. This is beneficial only to a few individuals. Of course, expertise is needed on the part of the astrologer in prescribing this. The astrologer must carefully evaluate the strengths of all planetary influences and the afflictions to the houses in the natal chart.

Secondary Birthstones

There are several other types of precious stones or gems like aquamarine, topaz, beryl, moonstone etc. which are also suggested for wearing. These,at best, can be substitutes to the primary birthstones. Again the experience and skill of the astrologer comes into play when deciding the most suitable secondary birthstone because of their subtle nature of influences. However, these are recommended for temporary periods only.

Weight of a birthstone

Birthstones are embedded either on gold rings or on silver rings depending upon the nature of the planet or luminary. Ruby, coral, yellow sapphire etc. are worn on rings made of gold. Normally, the weight is given in carats or in 'rattis'. Two to three carats weight is common but it can be up to a minimum of five carats in the case of 'Gomed'. A small gap in the ring is left below the stone, presumably, to allow light rays to pass through the body. The wavelength of the particular rays is said to cause changes in the physiological and psychological activity. For this reason, there are practitioners who prescribe birthstones to cure some diseases.

Wear Caution!

Just like self-prescribed medicines, self-prescribed birthstones are dangerous. One should not copy and wear a birthstone just because one's friend or relative is wearing it and getting lots of luck! You must consult an expert astrologer as to which birthstone is appropriate to you. One wealthy gentleman hesitated to wear a silver ring and fought with the astrologer as to why a particular stone could not be worn on a golden ring because he thought silver would undermine his status! Beware of marketers who will sell you any birthstone for a hefty amount with their own theories of the zodiac and planetary influences.

The author is a professional chemical engineer having expertise in neutral spirits distillation. He is a free-lance web developer and has a flair for writing articles on a diverse range of subjects including the occult viz., http://www.geocities.com/ugh_club/astrology. He spends a day in the week on studying his clients' http://www.geocities.com/ugh_club/horoscope. His site based on Electional Astrology i.e., http://www.geocities.com/ugh_club/muhurta is quite popular.