Birthstones by month
The modern birthstone for every month, alongside the older traditional stone where the two differ, and the birth flower.
| Month | Modern stone | Traditional | Colour | Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | Garnet | deep red | Carnation |
| February | Amethyst | Amethyst | purple | Violet |
| March | Aquamarine, Bloodstone | Bloodstone | pale blue | Daffodil |
| April | Diamond | Diamond | clear | Daisy |
| May | Emerald | Emerald | green | Lily of the valley |
| June | Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite | Pearl | white to cream | Rose |
| July | Ruby | Ruby | red | Larkspur |
| August | Peridot, Spinel | Sardonyx | olive green | Gladiolus |
| September | Sapphire | Sapphire | blue | Aster |
| October | Opal, Tourmaline | Opal | iridescent | Marigold |
| November | Topaz, Citrine | Topaz | yellow to amber | Chrysanthemum |
| December | Turquoise, Tanzanite, Zircon | Turquoise | blue to teal | Narcissus |
Which birthstone list is the right one?
There are several. The list above is the modern one, fixed by the American jewellery trade in 1912 and extended a few times since, which is what almost every retailer now uses. Before that, associations between months and stones varied by region and had done for centuries, which is why a traditional list exists alongside it and disagrees in several months. Neither is more authentic than the other; the modern one is simply the one that got standardised.
Do other countries use different birthstones?
Yes. British, Indian and Japanese lists all differ from the American one in at least one month. If a stone you have been told does not match the table above, it is more likely to come from a different list than to be wrong.
Questions
- How many birthstones are there?
- Twelve months, but several months have more than one recognised modern stone, so there are more than twelve stones in total.
- Is the birthstone set by month or by date?
- By month. Every date within a month shares the same stone.