What is My Birthstone?
Birthstones have been around as long as, well, birthdays – the idea that being born in a particular month associates you with a certain stone. For some people this is a nice idea, for some it is a serious list to be adhered to and every variation in between. But did you know there are more than one idea about what the birthstone of the months should be?
January
Garnet is the stone most people associated with a January birthday and in its dark red form most often, though garnet does come in a range of different colours.
| Traditional | Garnet |
| Modern Britain | Garnet |
| Roman | Garnet |
| Italian | Garnet; Red Zircon |
| Polish | Garnet |
| Russian | Garnet; Red Zircon |
| Hebrew | Garnet |
| Arabic | Garnet |
| Tibetan | Emerald |
| Hindu | Serpent Stone |
15 Fun Things to Know about Garnet Gemstone
6 January Birthstones That Aren’t Garnet
February
Amethyst is the traditional birthstone for April with its deep purple colour. It is a form of quartz very similar to citrine and combinations of the two stones together are called ametrine.
| Traditional | Amethyst; Hyacinth; Pearl |
| Modern Britain | Amethyst |
| Roman | Amethyst |
| Italian | Amethyst |
| Polish | Amethyst |
| Russian | Amethyst |
| Hebrew | Amethyst |
| Arabic | Amethyst |
| Tibetan | Bloodstone |
| Hindu | Moonstone |
11 Things You Never Knew About Amethyst Gemstones
March
The modern birthstone of March is aquamarine with its soft blue-turquoise shade but traditionally, either bloodstone or jasper were associated with the month before aquamarine was well known.
| Traditional | Bloodstone; Jasper |
| Modern Britain | Bloodstone; Aquamarine |
| Roman | Bloodstone |
| Italian | Jasper |
| Polish | Bloodstone |
| Russia | Jasper |
| Hebrew | Bloodstone; Jasper |
| Arabic | Bloodstone |
| Tibetan | Jade |
| Hindu | Gold Siva-linga |
6 Things You Never Knew About Aquamarine Gemstones
April
For many people, the April birthstone is something to aspire to – the diamond. Still as popular today as ever, the diamond is a symbol of love and of wealth as well as of the month.
| Traditional | Diamond; Sapphire |
| Modern Britain | Diamond; Clear Quartz |
| Roman | Sapphire |
| Italian | Sapphire |
| Polish | Diamond |
| Russian | Sapphire |
| Hebrew | Sapphire |
| Arabic | Sapphire |
| Tibetan | Opal |
| Hindu | Diamond |
11 Things You Never Knew About Diamond Gemstones
May
The traditional gemstone for May is Emerald, the beautiful deep green coloured stone that is known for its cloudy colour.
| Traditional | Emerald; Agate |
| Modern British | Emerald; Chrysoprase |
| Roman | Agate |
| Italian | Agate |
| Polish | Emerald |
| Russian | Emerald |
| Hebrew | Agate; Carnelian; Chalcedony |
| Arabic | Emerald |
| Tibetan | Sapphire |
| Hindu | Emerald |
7 Things You Never Knew About Emerald Gemstones
5 May Birthstones That Aren’t Emerald
June
June is a month with plenty of options for the birthstone; traditionally the cat’s eye, turquoise, agate and alexandrite were all associated with it while in modern times the pearl and moonstone have taken over.
| Traditional | Cat’s Eye; Turquoise; Agate; Alexandrite |
| Modern Britain/US | Pearl; Moonstone; Alexandrite |
| Roman | Emerald |
| Italian | Emerald |
| Polish | Agate; Chalcedony |
| Russian | Agate; Chalcedony |
| Hebrew | Emerald |
| Arabic | Agate; Chalcedony; Pearl |
| Tibetan | Moonstone |
| Hindu | Pearl |
8 Things You Never Knew About Pearls
3 June Birthstones That Aren’t Pearl
July
July is about red for birthstones with the traditional stone being ruby and a modern alternative being carnelian.
| Traditional | Ruby; Turquoise; Onyx |
| Modern Britain | Ruby; Carnelian |
| Roman | Onyx |
| Italian | Onyx |
| Polish | Onyx |
| Russian | Ruby; Sardonyx |
| Hebrew | Onyx |
| Arabic | Carnelian |
| Tibetan | Ruby |
| Hindu | Sapphire |
What is the July Birthstone?
August
There were a number of traditional stones for August including Sardonyx and Moonstone but the modern stone is Peridot, the light bright green stone.
| Traditional | Sardonyx; Carnelian; Moonstone; Topaz |
| Modern Britain | Peridot; Sardonyx |
| Roman | Carnelian |
| Italian | Carnelian |
| Polish | Sardonyx |
| Russian | Alexandrite |
| Hebrew | Carnelian |
| Arabic | Sardonyx |
| Tibetan | Diamond |
| Hindu | Ruby |
What is the August Birthstone?
September
Traditionally, the September birthstone was Peridot but has become strongly associated in modern Britain and the US with the deep blue of the Sapphire
| Traditional | Peridot |
| Modern Britain | Sapphire; Lapis lazuli |
| Roman | Sardonyx |
| Italian | Peridot |
| Polish | Sardonyx |
| Russian | Peridot |
| Hebrew | Peridot |
| Arabic | Peridot |
| Tibetan | Agate |
| Hindu | Zircon |
11 Fascinating Facts About Sapphire Gemstones
4 September Birthstones That Aren’t Sapphire
October
Opal, in its many forms and colours, is the traditional stone for October and has remained so across much of the world
| Traditional | Opal; Aquamarine; Tourmaline |
| Modern Britain | Opal |
| Roman | Aquamarine |
| Italian | Beryl |
| Polish | Aquamarine |
| Russian | Beryl |
| Hebrew | Aquamarine |
| Arabic | Aquamarine |
| Tibetan | Jasper |
| Hindu | Coral |
8 Curious Facts About Opal Gemstone
4 October Birthstones That Aren’t Opal
November
The traditional stone for November is the Topaz, usually in its most basic form, the yellow topaz that is more of a deep golden brown colour
| Traditional | Topaz; Citrine |
| Modern Britain | Topaz; Citrine |
| Roman | Topaz |
| Italian | Topaz |
| Polish | Topaz |
| Russian | Topaz |
| Hebrew | Topaz |
| Arabic | Topaz |
| Tibetan | Pearl |
| Hindu | Cat’s Eye |
What is the Birthstone for November?
December
December is a month with a multitude of gemstones representing it, including in modern terms the new stone of Tanzanite
| Traditional | Bloodstone; Ruby; Zircon; Lapis lazuli |
| Modern Britain/US | Turquoise; Zircon; Tanzanite; Blue Topaz |
| Roman | Ruby |
| Italian | Ruby |
| Polish | Turquoise |
| Russian | Turquoise; Chrysoprase |
| Hebrew | Ruby |
| Arabic | Ruby |
| Tibetan | Onyx |
| Hindu | Cat’s Eye |
15 Things You Never Knew About the Turquoise Gemstone
What are the December Birthstones?
Gemstones for star signs
As well as having a gemstone for each month of the year, there are also gemstones associated with each of the signs of the zodiac.
| Star Sign | Main zodiac Stone | Western Astrology Stone | Hindu Astrology Stone |
| Aries | Bloodstone | Diamond | Red Jasper |
| Taurus | Sapphire | Amber; Rose Quartz | Rose Quartz |
| Gemini | Agate | Chrysoprase; Citrine; White Sapphire | Agate; Tourmaline |
| Cancer | Emerald | Moonstone; Pearl | Moonstone; Pearl |
| Leo | Onyx | Sardonyx; Carnelian; Tourmaline | Ruby; Tiger’s Eye; Citrine; Rock crystal |
| Virgo | Carnelian | Jade; Jasper; Blue Sapphire | Carnelian |
| Libra | Peridot | Lapis lazuli; Opal | Opal; Aventurine |
| Scorpio | Aquamarine | Beryl; Obsidian; Apache Tear | Hematite |
| Sagittarius | Topaz | Turquoise | Topaz; Turquoise; Sodalite; Brazilian agate |
| Capricorn | Ruby | Black onyx | Onyx; Jet |
| Aquarius | Garnet | Moss Agate, Sugilite | Garnet |
| Pisces | Amethyst | Aquamarine; Rock Crystal | Amethyst |
