The Sagittarius is full of enthusiasm. He has a bubbly, outgoing personality that loves adventure and new experiences. His immensely extroverted nature, however, renders the Sagittarian restless and often irresponsible. Choices of Sagittarius birthstone address these weaknesses, as well as other needs the Sagittarius may have.

Peridot

The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, lapis lazuli … the ninth, peridot …

— Revelation 21:19-20

Peridot is the Sagittarius birthstone from the Bible. The 9th Foundation Stone in Revelation is the birthstone of the 9th sign of the zodiac: Sagittarius. While the Book of Revelation mentions topazion as the 9th Foundation Stone,¹ the topazion of the ancients was not actually the true topaz, but peridot. Also called topazo, topazion is described by the 1st-century scholar Pliny as a greenish gemstone from the island of Topazos, which gave the gem its name.² Pliny’s description perfectly fits peridot, a green gemstone from the Red Sea. Currently known as St. John’s Island, the island of Topazos in the Red Sea remains an important source of rough peridot to this day.³

While the name topazion from Revelation engendered the long-standing confusion over this birthstone, the gem in question may have been specified as peridot right from the Book of Exodus. The gem’s Hebrew name is pitdah.⁴ Whereas the origin of the term peridot is traced to the Arabic faridat,⁵ pitdah could have been the Hebrew word for peridot.

Peridot is a green gem from the mineral olivine. Lime green and olive green are its most popular colors. See also —

Yellow Zircon

Jacinth, the yellow zircon to be specific, is the gemstone associated with Jupiter from the ancient Chaldean tradition. Jupiter’s rulership over the zodiac sign makes yellow zircon the planetary Sagittarius birthstone.

The warm color of yellow hyacinth is rather reminiscent of Sagittarius’ element, fire, as are some of the metaphysical properties attached to the stone.

Turquoise

Turquoise is a gemstone assigned to Sagittarius’ ruling planet, Jupiter, from as early as the 1500s, and is therefore a planetary Sagittarius birthstone. Turquoise in fact displays the color associated with Jupiter, which is a greenish blue.

Genuine turquoise is among the most valuable of opaque gems.

Amethyst

Since the 1500s, amethyst is assigned to Sagittarius’ ruling planet, Jupiter, and is hence a planetary Sagittarius birthstone. Though, strictly speaking, purple in color, the bluish hue of this variety of quartz links amethyst with Jupiter.

With its clear purple brilliance, amethyst reproduces the color of wine, and was thought by the ancients to prevent drunkenness, hence the name amethyst, from the Greek amethystos,⁶ “not drunken.”⁷

Yellow Sapphire

Yellow sapphire is the gemstone associated with Jupiter in India. Jupiter’s rulership over Sagittarius makes yellow sapphire the Sagittarius birthstone in Hindu astrology.

Though most popular in blue, sapphire also produces yellow gems, which are called pusparajam in India.

Topaz

Topaz is the most widely accepted Sagittarius birthstone in Western culture. Though this originated from the gem’s erroneous identity with the Bible’s topazion — which in fact referred to peridot — yellow topaz has taken roots across cultures as Sagittarius gemstone. Moreover, in India, the Jupiter stone that denotes the yellow sapphire, pusparajam, also refers to topaz.⁸ Indeed, in Hindu astrology, topaz is an alternate Sagittarius stone to yellow sapphire, which is itself known as Oriental topaz.

Chalcedony

Chalcedony is a Sagittarius birthstone ⁹ that is pale blue in color. This gem reproduces the color associated with the zodiac sign’s ruling planet, Jupiter.

Blue chalcedony comes from a translucent or opaque occurrence of quartz.

Malachite

Malachite is a banded green Sagittarius gemstone.¹⁰

Treated as a variety of emerald by the ancients,¹¹ malachite is a green gem with light and dark bands.

Sagittarius Birthstone Color

Which birthstone for Sagittarius do you think is the best choice? Choices of Sagittarius stone come in yellow and bluish colors. Jacinth, yellow sapphire and topaz are all yellow in color, while turquoise, amethyst and chalcedony are bluish stones linked with Sagittarius’ ruling planet, Jupiter. In the middle comes the Sagittarius birthstone from the Scripture whose color is a mix of blue and yellow, peridot, along with malachite.

Know Their Magic

Each birthstone for Sagittarius is attributed with magical properties. Know the magical powers of Sagittarius stone when you read my book Power Birthstone.

See Sagittarius in Action

Curious about Sagittarius and other zodiac signs? An enjoyable way to understand the different signs is to see how they behave, interact or fight in a narrative. Deomar Pandan has recently started a novel whose character profiles are based on astrology’s zodiac signs. Read his fantasy novel for FREE: Cosmons and the Tree of Immortality.

Footnotes

1

“Revelation 21.” The Bible. Bible Hub, biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/21.htm. Accessed 28 July 2019.

2

Pliny. “Book 37 – XXXII.” Natural History. Trans. D. E. Eichholz. Loeb Classical Library ed. Vol. X. Harvard University Press, 1962. Wikisource, en.wikisource.org/wiki/Natural_History_(Rackham,_Jones,_%26_Eichholz)/Book_37. Accessed 27 July 2019.

3

Knuth, Bruce G. “Peridot.” Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore. Revised ed. Parachute: Jewelers Press, 2007. pp. 169-170.

4

“Exodus 28.” The Bible. Bible Hub, biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/28.htm. Accessed 28 July 2019.

5

“Peridot History and Lore.” Gemological Institute of America Inc, www.gia.edu/peridot-history-lore. Accessed 30 August 2019.

6

“Exodus 28.” Septuagint. Blue Letter Bible, www.blueletterbible.org/lxx/exo/28/1/s_78001. Accessed 28 July 2019.

7

“Amethyst.” Online Etymology Dictionary, www.etymonline.com/word/amethyst. Accessed 28 July 2019.

8

Sastri, V. Subramanya. “Adhyaya 2 – Sloka 21.” Jataka Parijata. Bangalore: V. B. Soobiah & Sons, 1932.

9

Conway, D. J. “Personal Gemstones.” Crystal Enchantments: A Complete Guide to Stones and Their Magical Properties. Crossing Press, 1999. Google Books.

10

Mella, Dorothee L. “A Practical Guide for Astrological Colors, Gemstones, & Metals.” Stone Power II. Albuquerque: Brotherhood of Life, 1986. p. 23.

11

Knuth, Bruce G. “Emerald.” Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore. Revised ed. Parachute: Jewelers Press, 2007. pp. 93-100.