Tradition also affects a stone’s value, sometimes making it precious. Tradition is taught to us through historic example. The book of Exodus tells us that around 5000 BC, the Lord told the Israelites to make a breast plate for Aaron the High Priest. 12 stones with the names of the 12 tribes were inscribed on it, so that Aaron would bear their names before the Lord as a memorial. The original birthstone list is taken from this example. it was changed in 1937 with stones of greater popularity. In recent times, some alternates have been added: Moonstone to join Pearl and Alexandrite in June and Tanzanite with Turquoise and Zircon in December.
