BirthstoneMeaning
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Peridot
Garnet
Amethyst
Aquamarine
Diamond
Emerald
Pearl
Ruby
Blue Sapphire
Opal
Topaz
TurquoiseBirthstone Calendar by Month
This birthstone calendar covers all twelve months in one place. Pick any month to see its stone, the colors and traditional associations tied to it, the two zodiac signs that overlap it, and a link to the full guide. Months with more than one official stone show every option.
January: Garnet
deep redGarnet is not one mineral but a family of them, which is why it shows up in red, orange, green, and color-change varieties. Bohemian garnet jewelry was popular enough in 19th-century Europe to support an entire regional industry.
- Traditional associations
- Constancy · Endurance · Homecoming
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Root · fire
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Garnet guide →February: Amethyst
violetAmethyst was a luxury on par with ruby and emerald until large Brazilian deposits reached the market in the 19th century and the price fell. Its name comes from the Greek amethystos, 'not intoxicated,' after the belief that it kept drinkers sober.
- Traditional associations
- Sobriety · Focus · Restraint
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Crown · air
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Amethyst guide →March: Aquamarine
pale blueAquamarine is beryl, the same mineral species as emerald, tinted by iron instead of chromium. The largest gem-quality crystal on record, the Dom Pedro, came out of Minas Gerais in Brazil at 10,363 carats.
- Traditional associations
- Safe passage · Composure · Candor
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Throat · water
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Bloodstone held the March slot for centuries before aquamarine joined it on the modern list. Both are correct depending on which list you follow.
Also official for March
- Bloodstone: The older March stone: a dark green chalcedony flecked with red iron oxide.
April: Diamond
colorlessDiamond is the hardest natural material known, which is why it survives daily wear better than any other birthstone. The first documented diamond engagement ring dates to 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy.
- Traditional associations
- Invincibility · Clarity · Commitment
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Crown · fire
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Diamond guide →May: Emerald
greenEmerald takes its green from traces of chromium and vanadium in beryl. Egyptian mining goes back to at least 1500 BCE, and Colombian stones reshaped the world gem trade after the Spanish conquest of South America.
- Traditional associations
- Fertility · Foresight · Patience
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Heart · earth
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Emerald guide →June: Pearl
whitePearl is the only birthstone produced by a living animal rather than by geology. At Mohs 2.5 it is also the softest stone on this calendar, so it needs more protection than any of the others.
- Traditional associations
- Purity · Humility · Quiet confidence
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Third Eye · water
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Also official for June
- Alexandrite: Color-change chrysoberyl: green in daylight, red under incandescent light.
- Moonstone: Feldspar with a floating blue sheen called adularescence.
July: Ruby
redRuby and sapphire are the same mineral, corundum. Red stones are called ruby and every other color is sapphire, and Sanskrit texts named the red one ratnaraj, king of gems.
- Traditional associations
- Courage · Vitality · Sovereignty
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Heart · fire
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Ruby guide →August: Peridot
olive greenPeridot forms in volcanic rock and has also reached Earth inside meteorites. Its color range is narrow, always some version of green, because the color comes from iron in the mineral's own structure rather than from an impurity.
- Traditional associations
- Renewal · Optimism · Night protection
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Solar Plexus · earth
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Sardonyx is the traditional August stone. Peridot leads the modern list, and spinel was added to it in 2016.
Also official for August
- Spinel: Added to the modern August list in 2016; long mistaken for ruby in historic crown jewels.
- Sardonyx: The traditional August stone: banded onyx and carnelian, cut for Roman seal rings.
September: Sapphire
blueSapphire covers every corundum color except red, including pink, yellow, and the rare orange-pink padparadscha. The 12-carat blue sapphire in Princess Diana's engagement ring is now worn by the Princess of Wales.
- Traditional associations
- Wisdom · Fidelity · Judgment
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Third Eye · air
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Read the full Sapphire guide →October: Opal
iridescentOpal holds water inside its structure, which is why some material can craze if it dries too fast. Its play-of-color comes from silica spheres diffracting light rather than from any pigment.
- Traditional associations
- Imagination · Transformation · Spontaneity
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Crown · water
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Also official for October
- Tourmaline: Added for its range: a single crystal can change color along its length.
November: Topaz
goldenTopaz grows into some of the largest gem crystals ever recovered, including a Brazilian specimen weighing 596 pounds. Most blue topaz on the market began as colorless material and was irradiated and heated to reach that color.
- Traditional associations
- Discernment · Generosity · Steadiness
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Throat · fire
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Also official for November
- Citrine: Yellow to amber quartz; most commercial material is heat-treated amethyst.
Zodiac signs this month
December: Turquoise
blue-greenTurquoise has been mined for more than 5,000 years, from Egyptian workings to the American Southwest. It is a copper phosphate, and the brown or black webbing many buyers prize is host rock left in the stone.
- Traditional associations
- Protection · Friendship · Good health
- Chakra and element (traditional)
- Throat · earth
Chakra, element, and the associations above come from crystal healing and folklore. They are traditional beliefs, not measurable properties of the mineral.
Also official for December
- Tanzanite: Found in one place on Earth, the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, and only since 1967.
- Zircon: A natural mineral routinely confused with the lab-made imitation cubic zirconia.
Zodiac signs this month
Jump to your birthday
How This Birthstone Calendar Works
The grid above follows the modern birthstone list used by jewelers in the United States. Each month has one primary stone, and six of the twelve carry additional official stones that arrived later. Selecting a month shows that stone’s color, its traditional associations, the two zodiac signs the month overlaps, and a link to the full guide for readers who want the mineralogy and care detail.
The calendar separates two kinds of information on purpose. Color, hardness, and mineral composition are measurable facts. Chakra assignments, elements, and symbolic keywords are traditional beliefs drawn from folklore and crystal healing practice, and every panel labels them that way.
Modern and Traditional Birthstone Lists
Most birthstone charts you will find online descend from a list standardized in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers, an American trade body. That list covers months, not zodiac signs, and it was created to bring consistency to a market where every jeweler promoted a different set of stones. Later additions expanded several months: tanzanite joined December in 2002, and spinel joined August in 2016.
Traditional lists are older and inconsistent by design. They vary across Poland, Russia, Britain, and the Arab world, and they predate any attempt at standardization. This is why March appears as aquamarine on one chart and bloodstone on another, and why August shows peridot in one place and sardonyx in another. Neither answer is wrong. They come from different lists.
Months With More Than One Birthstone
Six months carry more than one official stone. March has aquamarine and bloodstone. June has pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone. August has peridot, spinel, and sardonyx. October has opal and tourmaline. November has topaz and citrine. December has turquoise, tanzanite, and zircon.
The pattern behind the additions is commercial rather than symbolic. Natural alexandrite and fine pearl are expensive and hard to source, so moonstone gave June buyers an affordable option. Opal is soft and needs careful setting, so tourmaline gave October a hard-wearing alternative. When a month offers several stones, any of them is a legitimate choice.
Birthstones at a Glance
| Month | Modern stone | Color | Mohs | Zodiac signs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | deep red | 7.5 | Capricorn, Aquarius |
| February | Amethyst | violet | 7 | Aquarius, Pisces |
| March | Aquamarine | pale blue | 7.5 | Pisces, Aries |
| April | Diamond | colorless | 10 | Aries, Taurus |
| May | Emerald | green | 7.5 | Taurus, Gemini |
| June | Pearl | white | 2.5 | Gemini, Cancer |
| July | Ruby | red | 9 | Cancer, Leo |
| August | Peridot | olive green | 6.5 | Leo, Virgo |
| September | Sapphire | blue | 9 | Virgo, Libra |
| October | Opal | iridescent | 5.5 | Libra, Scorpio |
| November | Topaz | golden | 8 | Scorpio, Sagittarius |
| December | Turquoise | blue-green | 6 | Sagittarius, Capricorn |
Mohs numbers describe scratch resistance only. They say nothing about toughness or resistance to impact, so a hard stone can still chip. Pearl at 2.5 and opal at 5.5 need the most protection.
How the Calendar Connects to Zodiac Signs
Every calendar month overlaps two zodiac signs, because sun-sign ranges start between the 19th and the 23rd rather than on the 1st. Someone born on May 3rd is a Taurus with emerald as a month stone; someone born on May 28th is a Gemini with the same month stone. The two systems run in parallel and neither replaces the other.
The 1912 list assigns stones to months, not to signs, so the zodiac stones on this site are derived rather than official. We map each sign to the stones of the months it spans, then weigh the traditional symbolic associations recorded for that sign. The method is set out on the birthstone chart, and each zodiac guide states which stones are modern, which are traditional, and where the pairing came from.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the 12 month birthstones?
- January is garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal, November topaz, and December turquoise. These are the primary stones on the modern list used in the United States. Six of those months carry additional official stones, and several have an older traditional stone that differs from the modern one.
- Which months have more than one birthstone?
- Six do. March adds bloodstone, June adds alexandrite and moonstone, August adds spinel and sardonyx, October adds tourmaline, November adds citrine, and December adds tanzanite and zircon. June, August, and December each carry three. The extra stones were added over the last century, usually to give buyers an option at a lower price than the original stone.
- What is the difference between modern and traditional birthstones?
- The modern list is the one most American jewelers use today. It descends from a standardized list published in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers, with additions in later decades. Traditional lists are older and vary by region and era, which is why March can be aquamarine or bloodstone and August can be peridot or sardonyx. Neither list is more authentic than the other.
- Is my birthstone based on my birth month or my zodiac sign?
- Both systems exist and they answer different questions. The month system is the one behind almost all birthstone jewelry, and it changes on the first of each month. The zodiac system follows sun-sign date ranges, which start around the 20th to 23rd, so anyone born near the end of a month falls under the next sign. If you were born on August 30th your month stone is peridot and your zodiac sign is Virgo.