What's Your Birthstone? Meanings and History by Month

A birthstone is a gemstone traditionally assigned to a birth month, each with its own color, history, and symbolic meaning. Every month has an official modern birthstone, and several months also have a traditional or alternate option. Below, you'll find the full chart, what each stone means, and how to choose and care for yours.

Birthstone Chart: Find Your Month at a Glance

Did You Know? Diamond, at a 10 on the Mohs scale, is the hardest known natural material — which is one reason it's the only birthstone that can be worn daily in any setting without special precautions.

Why Do Some Months Have More Than One Birthstone?

According to the Gemological Institute of America, it usually isn't about competing traditions so much as accessibility: some older stones became too rare or expensive for most buyers, so more affordable, popular alternatives were added to the official list over time. Five months carry more than one modern option as a result:

• June: Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone
• August: Peridot, Spinel
• October: Opal, Tourmaline
• November: Topaz, Citrine
• December: Turquoise, Tanzanite, Zircon

If your month is on that list, you have real flexibility in color, price point, and durability, which we'll get into below.

Where Did Birthstones Come From?

The idea of matching gemstones to months goes back much further than any jewelry store. The earliest reference appears in the Book of Exodus, which describes a breastplate worn by the high priest Aaron, set with twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Scholars later connected those twelve stones to the twelve months of the year and the zodiac. The practice of wearing your own birth month's stone specifically is generally traced to 16th-to-18th century Poland and Germany, spreading across Europe from there. 

The list most of us use today wasn't standardized until 1912, when the National Association of Jewelers, now Jewelers of America, published an official chart. That list has been updated a handful of times since: alexandrite and citrine were added in 1952, tanzanite in 2002, and spinel in 2016.

Birthstones by Month

Here's a closer look at each month's stone, including its meaning, history, and how well it holds up to everyday wear.

January: Garnet

Garnet, January's birthstone, is most familiar as a deep red but also occurs in green, orange, and other shades. It's been used in jewelry since the Bronze Age, and travelers historically wore it for protection on long journeys. At 6.5–7.5 on the Mohs scale, garnet holds up well to daily wear.

February: Amethyst

Amethyst, the purple variety of quartz, is February's stone and is associated with clarity and calm. Its name comes from the Greek for "not intoxicated," tied to an ancient belief that the stone protected its wearer from drunkenness. At 7 on the Mohs scale, it's durable enough for an everyday ring.

March: Aquamarine (Traditional: Bloodstone)

Aquamarine takes its name from the Latin for "water of the sea," and its pale-to-deep blue color has made it a natural symbol of courage and calm. A few specifics worth knowing before you buy:

• Sailors historically carried aquamarine as a protective talisman on voyages
• It ranks 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale, making it a solid, low-maintenance choice for rings worn daily
• Bloodstone, the traditional March stone, is a dark green quartz flecked with red and rarely seen in modern jewelry

Either option gives March babies a durable, wearable stone with genuine history behind it.

April: Diamond

Diamond is April's birthstone and the hardest known natural material at 10 on the Mohs scale, which is exactly why it's the standard for engagement rings and other pieces meant to last generations. If you're shopping for a diamond birthstone piece, you have a real choice to make between lab-grown and natural. Both are chemically and visually identical, cut and certified to the same standards. 

See our full lab-grown vs. natural diamond comparison here!

May: Emerald

Emerald's deep green has symbolized renewal and rebirth since antiquity, famously favored by Cleopatra. As a variety of beryl, it almost always contains natural inclusions jewelers call "jardin," which is part of what makes each stone unique. That same characteristic affects how you should treat it day to day:

• Hardness sits at 7.5–8, but emerald is more brittle than that number suggests
• Ultrasonic cleaners can worsen existing inclusions, so avoid them
• A protective setting, like a bezel, reduces the risk of chipping on a ring worn daily

With reasonable care, emerald still makes a beautiful, wearable birthstone.

June: Pearl, Alexandrite, or Moonstone

June is the only month with three official birthstones. 

Pearl, the traditional choice, is formed inside living mollusks rather than mined from the earth, and has long symbolized purity and wisdom; it's also the softest common birthstone at 2.5–4.5 on the Mohs scale, so it's worth putting on last when getting dressed to avoid scratches from other jewelry. 

Alexandrite is a color-changing stone considered one of the rarest gems in the world, while moonstone has a soft, glowing sheen associated with intuition and new beginnings. Whichever option you choose, June offers more personality and range than almost any other birth month.

July: Ruby

Ruby, July's fiery red birthstone, is tied to passion, vitality, and courage, and has been prized by royalty throughout history. Here's what makes it a genuinely practical choice, not just a symbolic one:

• It ranks 9 on the Mohs scale, one of the hardest common gemstones after diamond
• That hardness makes it well suited to rings and other daily-wear pieces
• Its rich color holds up well under everyday lighting, unlike some softer, paler stones

Ruby is a stone you can wear without worrying much about it.

August: Peridot (Alternate: Spinel; Traditional: Sardonyx)

Peridot is always green, with the exact shade depending on where the stone formed, and it's associated with strength and protection. Spinel, added to the official list in 2016, is a durable, brilliant alternative that was historically often mistaken for ruby or sapphire before modern gem testing existed. Both fall in the 6.5–8 range on the Mohs scale, making either a reasonably durable option for August birthdays.

September: Sapphire

Sapphire is best known in blue but actually occurs in nearly every color except red, and it's long been associated with wisdom and loyalty. At 9 on the Mohs scale, it's tied with ruby as one of the most durable colored gemstones available, which makes it one of the few colored stones we'd recommend without hesitation for a ring worn every single day.

October: Opal (Alternate: Tourmaline)

Opal's unique play of color makes it one of the most visually distinctive birthstones, symbolizing faithfulness and hope. Tourmaline, October's other official option, occurs naturally in more colors than almost any other gem. The two stones differ quite a bit in practical terms:

• Opal ranks just 5.5–6.5 on the Mohs scale and can crack with heat or sudden temperature changes
• Tourmaline is notably more durable at 7–7.5, making it a better fit for daily wear
• If you love opal's look but want something sturdier day to day, tourmaline is worth considering as an alternative rather than a compromise

Both are genuinely beautiful; the right one depends on how hard your jewelry needs to work.

November: Topaz (Alternate: Citrine)

Topaz is most familiar in warm golden tones, though it also occurs in blue, usually treated, and other colors, and it's associated with strength and warmth. Citrine, a golden variety of quartz, was added to the official list in 1952 as a more affordable, widely available alternative. Topaz ranks 8 on the Mohs scale and citrine 7, so both are durable enough for regular wear without special precautions.

December: Turquoise (Alternates: Tanzanite, Zircon; Traditional: Lapis Lazuli)

December has more official birthstone options than any other month, giving buyers real range in color and price. A closer look at the options:

• Turquoise, the traditional stone, has a long history as a protective talisman and a distinctive blue-green color, but it's also the softest stone on this entire list at 5–6 hardness, so it needs the most careful handling
• Tanzanite was discovered in Tanzania in 1967 and remains found nowhere else on Earth, added to the official list in 2002
• Zircon and lapis lazuli round out the options, offering more color variety for anyone who wants an alternative to turquoise's softness

If you're drawn to turquoise's color but want something sturdier for daily wear, tanzanite or zircon are worth a look.

Everyday Durability: Which Birthstones Need Special Care?

Not every birthstone is suited to the same kind of wear, so it helps to know where yours falls before choosing a setting. Diamond, ruby, and sapphire top the list for daily wear with minimal precautions, and amethyst, aquamarine, topaz, and citrine aren't far behind. A few stones need more thought:

• Emerald: avoid ultrasonic cleaners; more prone to chipping than its hardness number suggests
• Opal: can crack with heat or sudden temperature change; best set in a protective mounting
• Pearl: easily scratched by other jewelry or cosmetics; put on last when getting dressed
• Turquoise: porous and soft; avoid soaps, lotions, and prolonged water exposure

If your birthstone falls into that second group, a pendant or earrings often make more practical everyday sense than a ring, since rings take the most physical impact over time.

Beyond Birth Month: Other Birthstone Traditions

The chart above reflects birth month, but it isn't the only system in use. Zodiac birthstones assign a gem to each astrological sign rather than a calendar month, and the two lists frequently don't match. Family jewelry follows its own logic entirely: a mother's ring, for instance, is deliberately built around the birthstones of children or other family members rather than the wearer's own birth month. None of these traditions is more "correct" than another; they're simply different starting points for the same idea, a stone chosen for its personal meaning.

That's really the throughline of everything on this page. Whether your stone comes from the month you were born, your zodiac sign, or someone else's birthday entirely, the meaning it carries is decided by who's wearing it. 

At Carbon Diamonds, that's the starting point for every custom piece we build, from a birthstone accent on an engagement ring to a full mother's-style design with multiple stones. Our team can walk you through sourcing, setting, and design from the first sketch. Book a consultation to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the most valuable birthstone? Fine natural rubies, sapphires, and emeralds can command very high prices per carat, with rare colored diamonds also reaching exceptional values. 

Why do some months have two or three birthstones? Mainly because some traditional stones became too rare or expensive over time, so more accessible alternatives were added to the official list.

What's the difference between a modern and traditional birthstone? Modern birthstones come from the 1912 standardized list and its later updates; traditional birthstones come from older European lists that predate standardization.