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Blog posts of '2014' 'April'

April's Birthstones - About innocence, love and ... shhh ... rock crystal

Happy birthday to you, April child. Your birth flower, the sweet pea or Lathyrus odoratus, is a mostly climbing plant native to the Mediterranean region.  Its lovely scented flowers convey an image of 'modesty' and 'simplicity'. In Victorian times, its hidden message was 'thank you for a lovely time' or 'blissful pleasure'.

Your alternative birth month flower is the daisy or Bellis perennis (eternal beauty) and belongs to the Asteraceae family. Although mostly known as a bright white flower with a yellow center the daisy exists in shades of yellow, red and purple.

Its Victorian message of 'innocence' and 'loyal love' will surely warm your heart to it. How many of us have not picked its petals whispering: 'he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me …' … and a daisy given to a friend once promised 'I'll never tell'.

Your lucky stone or modern birthstone is the diamond. This extremely hard volcanic mineral is colorless and transparent in its pure form and can only be scratched by other diamonds. When diamonds contain impurities you get a wide range of colored diamond going from blue, green, yellow … to brown, pink, red and purple. When diamond contains a big amount of impurities it is perceived as a black diamond. Colorless, brown and yellow diamonds fall under the normal color gradation, while the others, called fancy-color diamonds, have a different grading scale (with master stones). As fancy-color diamonds are highly desirable and valuable, there are color-treated diamonds on the market.

The diamond's message is similar to that of the daisy, both refer to innocence. But the gemstone works also as an amplifier of emotions whether bliss or sorrow. The colorless diamond is supposed to spread a loving energy, hence its place in the engagement ring.

  

Your alternate birthstone is the colorless and transparent rock crystal or quartz. Extremely pure rock crystal is quite unusual and as a consequence expensive. Like diamond it exists in lots of colors, but also under different names going from amethyst and rose quartz ... to citrine and smoky quartz. In early history, those varieties of quartz were in Europe and the Middle-East what jade was for East-Asia: the gemstone of predilection for carvings and jewelry.

Clear quartz is supposed to cleanse and purify the soul creating the innocence the diamond and the daisy refer to. It stimulates positive feelings, provides energy and clears thoughts … it is a gemstone celebrating life and love.

She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow; this stone,
Emblem of innocence, is known.

Live your life with love - happy birthday!