Birthstones by Month: What Each Stone Means and How to Give One

Most people know their own birthstone and nobody else's. Here are all twelve, with the alternative stones some months get, the meanings they've picked up over the centuries, and a practical note on which ones can handle being worn every day.

A quick word on the meanings: they're folklore, not science. They're lovely to put in a card, but no stone is going to change anyone's luck.

The full list

This is the modern list used by most jewelers in the US. It goes back to 1912, when the American jewelry trade agreed on a standard set, and it's been added to since: tanzanite joined December in 2002 and spinel joined August in 2016. Other countries' lists differ a little, so if someone tells you their stone is something else, they may well be right too.

Month by month

January: garnet

Most people picture deep red, but garnets also come in orange, green and pink. It's a tough stone and a good everyday one, which suits a month people mostly spend getting back to work.

February: amethyst

The name comes from the ancient Greek for "not drunk", because people believed it kept you sober. It didn't, but it's a great line for a February birthday card.

March: aquamarine

Pale sea-blue, and named after seawater. Sailors carried it for a safe crossing. Bloodstone, the older March stone, is dark green with red flecks and couldn't look more different.

April: diamond

The hardest natural material there is, 10 on the hardness scale, and the reason April birthdays are expensive to buy jewelry for. The word comes from the Greek for "unbreakable".

May: emerald

Almost every emerald has tiny inclusions inside, and jewelers expect them. It's hard enough to scratch glass but can chip if it's knocked, so it suits earrings and pendants better than a ring someone wears to the gym.

June: pearl

The only birthstone made by a living animal. Pearls are soft and don't like perfume, so if you're giving one, the old advice is "last thing on, first thing off". Alexandrite, the other June stone, is famous for changing color between daylight and lamplight.

July: ruby

Here's one for the trivia night: ruby and sapphire are the same mineral, corundum. Red is called ruby, and almost every other color is called sapphire. Both are very hard and fine to wear every day.

August: peridot

A bright lime green, and one of the few gems that also turns up in meteorites. The ancient Egyptians mined it on an island in the Red Sea. August also gets spinel, which was mistaken for ruby for centuries.

September: sapphire

Blue is the classic, but sapphires come in yellow, pink, green and nearly every shade between. Like ruby, it's tough enough for a ring that's never taken off.

October: opal

Famous for its flashes of color that move as you tilt it. Most of the world's opal comes from Australia. It's on the softer side and some opals don't like drying out, so it's better for something worn now and then.

November: topaz

Golden-orange is the traditional November color, which is why citrine, also golden, is the alternative. Topaz is hard but can split if it's hit at the wrong angle.

December: turquoise

One of the oldest gems people have worn, found in Egyptian tombs. It's soft and porous, so keep it away from lotion and the washing up. Tanzanite, the newer December stone, is a violet-blue found in only one small area of Tanzania.

Which ones can be worn every day?

If you're buying jewelry, this matters more than the meaning. A rough guide:

• Fine for everyday wear: diamond, ruby, sapphire, spinel, aquamarine, topaz (careful with knocks), garnet, amethyst, citrine.
• Fine with a bit of care: emerald, peridot, tourmaline, alexandrite.
• Better for special occasions: pearl, opal, turquoise, moonstone.

So if your partner's a June baby who never takes their ring off, moonstone or pearl in a ring might not survive the year. A pendant would.

Birthstone or star sign?

They get mixed up a lot. A birthstone goes by the calendar month. Star signs run from roughly the 20th of one month to the 20th of the next, and there are older lists of "zodiac stones" for each sign, but they vary so much from source to source that there isn't really one agreed answer.

If someone's born on the 25th of March, their birthstone is aquamarine and their sign is Aries. Both are true at once, which is handy if you want to put both in a card.

Ways to give someone their birthstone

• Jewelry. The classic. A small stone in a pendant or stud earrings is the usual starting point, and the prices vary enormously by month. Garnet and amethyst can be very affordable; diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald usually aren't.
• A raw or tumbled stone. Rock and crystal shops sell rough pieces of many birthstones for a few dollars. It sounds small, but a rough stone with a note about what it means makes a lovely desk thing.
• Put it in the card. Even if the gift is something else, "your stone is garnet, which is supposed to mean friendship, and that sounds about right" is the kind of line people remember.
• A digital one. Our Zodiac reveal is built around this list. Their birth month picks the stone, the day picks its exact shade, and their birth year decides how many years it grows through. It lands in their open hand through their phone camera; they crack it open, grow it and cut it, and your message and voice are inside. It's $0.89 once, with a free preview first.

For other small gift ideas that aren't a gift card, there's a whole guide to that.

Questions people ask

What are the birthstones for each month?

January garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal, November topaz and December turquoise. Some months also have alternatives, like citrine for November and tanzanite for December.

Why do some months have two or three birthstones?

The modern list from 1912 has been added to over the years, partly to give each month a more affordable or more durable option. June has pearl, alexandrite and moonstone, and December has turquoise, tanzanite and zircon. Any of them is correct.

Is a birthstone the same as a zodiac stone?

No. A birthstone goes by the calendar month you were born in. Zodiac stones go by star sign, which runs across two months, and the lists of zodiac stones vary a lot between sources.

Which birthstones are best for a ring worn every day?

Diamond, ruby and sapphire are the toughest. Garnet, amethyst, aquamarine and spinel are also good choices. Pearl, opal and turquoise are softer and better suited to pendants or jewelry worn now and then.

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