At times, people know only the date of birth and the preparation of an accurate horoscope becomes difficult, if not impossible. They can be told to wear the birthstone pertinent to the date of birth. Thus, those born on the 1st, 10th ,19th or the 28th of any month can wear ruby or red coral to begin with. By trial and error and after consultations the correct gemstone can be worn. Some people are found wearing a “nava ratna” i.e., a ring with all the nine main stones embedded on the ring. While this may do wonders for some, it is not recommended as a general solution to appease all the planets at a time! The factors to be considered when wearing a birthstone are :

1. The correct gem 2. Weight of the gem 3. Metal of the ring 4. Day and time of first wearing 5. Pre-treatment of the stone before wearing.

Pre-treatment refers to the purification or the sanctification process of the embedded ring. The big question remains which school of opinion to follow – sympathy or antipathy? Whether one should appease the afflicted planet or counter-act it?

The author is a professional chemical engineer having expertise in neutral spirits distillation. He is a free-lance web developer and has a flair for writing articles on a diverse range of subjects including the occult viz., Astrology.