Birthstone Guide

A little colour. A lot of meaning.

Explore the stones associated with each month and find a personal starting point for your next jewellery design.

Twelve months · Many possibilities

Find your month

This selection follows the birthstones commonly listed by GIA. Traditions differ across places and periods, and some months have more than one recognised option. Select a stone to explore its glossary entry.

January

Garnet appearance exampleGarnet

Often shown in deep red, garnet also occurs in a much wider range of colours.

February

Amethyst appearance exampleAmethyst

Purple amethyst offers tones from soft lilac to rich violet.

March

Aquamarine appearance exampleAquamarineBloodstone appearance exampleBloodstone

Choose the blue to greenish blue of aquamarine or the contrasting green and red of bloodstone.

April

Diamond appearance exampleDiamond

Colourless diamond is familiar, while natural diamonds also occur in other colours.

May

Emerald appearance exampleEmerald

Emerald brings a distinctive green, with tone and clarity varying from stone to stone.

June

Pearl appearance examplePearlAlexandrite appearance exampleAlexandriteMoonstone appearance exampleMoonstone

Pearl lustre, alexandrite’s colour change and moonstone’s sheen offer three very different looks.

July

Ruby appearance exampleRuby

Ruby is the red variety of corundum; shades range within the red colour family.

August

Peridot appearance examplePeridotSpinel appearance exampleSpinelSardonyx appearance exampleSardonyx

Yellow-green peridot, many-coloured spinel and banded sardonyx give this month plenty of variety.

September

Sapphire appearance exampleSapphire

Blue is the best-known sapphire colour, but sapphire occurs in many other colours too.

October

Opal appearance exampleOpalTourmaline appearance exampleTourmaline

Opal’s varied appearances and tourmaline’s broad colour range invite a personal choice.

November

Topaz appearance exampleTopazCitrine appearance exampleCitrine

Warm golden shades are popular, although topaz occurs in several colours and some colours involve treatment.

December

Tanzanite appearance exampleTanzaniteTurquoise appearance exampleTurquoiseZircon appearance exampleZircon

Explore blue-violet tanzanite, blue to green turquoise and zircon in a range of colours.

Make the choice your own

Choose a colour you love

A birth month need not mean a single exact shade. Look at the actual bead colour, pattern and finish when planning your palette.

Know the material

A birthstone-coloured glass bead can be a beautiful design choice. Describe it as glass in that colour; it is not the gemstone it resembles.

Match the jewellery to the stone

Consider wear, treatments, bead-hole strength and the setting or stringing method. Hardness alone does not describe resistance to breaking or chemical damage.

Let meaning be personal

Birthstone symbolism can add a thoughtful story to a gift. Traditional meanings are cultural associations, not guarantees of luck, protection or health.

Why do different birthstone charts disagree?

Birthstone lists have changed over time and vary by tradition. Some charts include older alternatives, zodiac associations or regional customs. A month may therefore have more than one valid choice. The list above keeps the familiar monthly selection together without treating it as the only possible tradition.

For everyday care, visit cleaning beads and metals.

About the photographs

The photographs are appearance examples, not a promise that every bead will match. Colour, pattern, transparency and surface effects vary; lighting and screens also change how an image looks. The gemstone glossary includes more photographs and colour variations.

Photograph sources & licences

Original guide photographs are from the existing i-Bead Inc. image collection. The following photographs also require source attribution.