Birthstone Stories: The Gemstones of the Year and Their Stories

Discover the majesty of the birthstones and dive deep into the history of birthstone jewelry!

In Birthstone Stories, explore the meanings and the mineral make up of the gemstones associated with each calendar month. Filled with fascinating details about the stones themselves and how they came to be attached to each birth month, learn everything you need to know about the birthstones, from their mineral composition to their most famous specimens.

Beautifully illustrated and filled with fun facts, Birthstone Stories gives a wonderful overview of:

• How we came to give each month a ＂birthstone＂.
• What each birthstone is believed to mean.
• The most historically significant pieces of jewelry the birthstones have been used in.

Based on the popular social media series by goldsmith Melise Ozkardesler, Birthstone Stories reveals the secrets of the mysterious birthstones and gives new meaning to these beautiful crystals.

Melise Ozkardesler is a goldsmith trained in ancient techniques, history enthusiast, and antique jewelry collector. She is also the creator and host of the Ancient History Jewelry Stories video series, which has quickly garnered a following of 69k history-loving fans on Instagram under the handle @moonhoney.jewelry. Combining a passion for antique jewelry, ancient history, and the beauty of the natural world, she tells stories high- lighting how our love of adornment has created an important historical record, allowing us to look into our past.
A colorful childhood saw her living in such exciting places as Miami Beach, New York, Costa Rica, and Barcelona. She now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, tuxedo cat, and sizeable vin- tage clothing collection. When she is not at her bench making jewelry, she can often be found at the nearest farmer’s market, thrift store, antique shop, or museum.