If you are expecting a baby, it will soon be time to choose his name, one of the first important decisions you will have to make as parents. Some families choose to follow family traditions, while others look elsewhere for inspiration, such as literature or history.
But there is one thing we can all agree on: our children are our most valuable jewels. We share 23 names for babies inspired by precious and semiprecious stones.
- Agate: the name of this mineral comes from the Achates River, currently called the Dirillo River, south of Sicily in Italy, where it is believed that the first of these stones was found. In ancient cultures, it was regarded as the stone of science and was believed to have healing and medicinal powers.
- Alejandrina: inspired by Alexandrite, a precious stone named in honor of the future Tsar Alexander II of Russia.
- Amber: is a fossilized resin of plant origin, considered a semi-precious stone. Its name comes from Arabic and means ‘what floats in the sea’.
- Beril: inspired by the mineral beryl, whose name comes from the Greek word beryllos , alluding to the blue-green color of seawater. Some famous varieties of beryl are emerald and aquamarine.
- Coral: Despite not being a mineral, coral is considered a gem like precious and semi-precious stones for its use in jewelry.
- Crystal: comes from the Greek Krystallos and is another name given to quartz.
- Emerald: stone corresponding to the month of May. It is believed that its name is of Persian or Latin origin, and that it literally means “green stone”, but when we talk about names its meaning is interpreted as “the one that has hope” or “the one that radiates purity”.
- Gem: is the name given in general to precious and semi-precious stones of natural origin.
- Hyacinth: it is a variety of transparent zircon of red-orange color, used in rhinestones. This stone has been mentioned in various famous literary works, such as One Thousand and One Nights and The Picture of Dorian Gray .
- Jade: Throughout history, jade items have been known as lucky charms. For many pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica, jade was the stone of creation, it meant life, fertility and power, being even more valued than gold.
- Jasper: inspired by the jasper stone, often used as an ornament and sometimes as a gemstone, depending on its variant.
- Larimar: it is a mineral with blue tones that is only found in the Dominican Republic. Its name comes from the union of Larissa, the name of the daughter of the person who discovered it, and the word “sea”, for the colors of the Caribbean Sea.
- Moon: for the moonstone, which gets its name from its resemblance to the Moon. It is the birthstone for the month of June and the stone traditionally given to celebrate the 13th anniversary of marriage. It was highly prized by the Romans, who believed that it was magically formed in the light of the moon.
- Melania: inspired by melanite, a shiny black mineral, variety of garnet. Melania is a name of French origin, meaning “black, dark”.
- Morgan: Inspired by the stone morganite, a pink beryl named after businessman and banker JP Morgan, for his financial support of the arts and sciences, and his significant donations of gems to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and to the Natural History Museum in Paris.
- Olivia/Oliver: inspired by the mineral olivine, which includes peridot, one of the few gems found in only one color.
- Onyx: mineral considered by some to be a semi-precious stone, while others consider it to be a variety of agate or chalcedony.
- Pearl: in ancient civilizations, the pearl was considered the most important gem, so its use was reserved only for the nobility. It is the stone corresponding to the month of June.
- Ruby: its name comes from Latin and means “red”. It is the stone corresponding to the month of July.
- Selene: inspired by the selenite stone, whose name comes from Selene, the Greek goddess of the Moon, due to the type of reflection that gives it a pearly shine similar to that of moonlight.
- Titania: inspired by titanite, a mineral that, when cut, can reflect sparkles superior to diamond.
- Topacio: its name comes from the Topazos Island (today San Juan Island) that is in the Red Sea. In ancient times, topaz was believed to bestow protection on the wearer.
- Sapphire: Famous for its bright blue variety, sapphire belongs to the same family of minerals as ruby. Its name comes from the Hebrew Safir , which means “neat”.
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