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Blog posts of '2014' 'May'

May's Birthstones - Say it with white and green ... because "you make my life complete"

Happy birthday to you, May child. Your birth flower, the sweet smelling lily of the valley or Convallaria majalis, is a tiny bell-shaped spring flower. This flowering plant has most often white blooms, sometimes pink, and is a popular flower for weddings. In Victorian times its meaning of sweetness, humility and return to happiness was bundled as 'you've made my life complete'.

Your alternative birth month flower is the common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), a smallish tree, of which the young intertwined stems carry sharp thorns, making it the perfect hedge tree. Its five-petaled white flowers are moderately fragrant and the berries edible.

The glistening little flower conveys the message of 'hope and supreme happiness'. A long time ago it was considered the flower of courtship and the tree was the faeries' tree.

Your traditional lucky stone is the fragile emerald which ranges in color from yellow-green to blue-green. Only the medium to deep green hued gemstone is called emerald, the light-toned mineral is called green beryl. Most emeralds undergo an oil treatment in order to close the gaps and enhance their clarity. The favorite, the flawless medium green gemstone, has inspired the creation of synthetic emeralds.

The emerald is supposed to calm the emotions, stimulate refection and heighten artistic creativity, as it brings focus and intensity. It is the stone of gentleness and abundance which restores hope … bringing love and compassion

Your alternative modern birthstone is the chrysoprase, a green chalcedony mineral which owns its color to nickel inclusions. Chrysoprase belongs to the silica family and is a micro-crystalline, just like agate and as a consequence it is an opaque gemstone. In Greek the stone is called gold (chrysos) eelgrass (prason: eelgrass, a green marine plant resembling leek, which gives prasinus (leek green) in Latin). Its color goes from apple-green to deep green, the latter is sometimes called prase quartz, in reference to the color of another mineral, a macro-crystalline one. It is that special color that makes it so desirable. In order to maintain its color, you need to store it with some humid cotton.

Chrysoprase is said to soothe loneliness and sadness. It should increase compassion and bring good fortune and prosperity.

The tropical zodiac refers to the agate, which is the traditional birthstone of June, as the lucky stone of Gemini.

Whether you give her/him emeralds, chrysoprase or agatedune beads recommends that you choose green to bring good luck.

Happy birthday !

Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet flowery month of May
And wears an emerald all her life
Shall be a loved and happy wife. 
– Gregorian Birthstone Poems -