List of Birthstones for Each Month

When planning jewelry as a gift, a list of birthstones for each month, such as the one below, can be helpful and inspiring.

The tradition of connecting a stone to a month of birth has its roots going back to ancient times. Many early civilizations celebrated birth with a special stone that was said to bring the recipient good luck and health. Today the tradition holds strong and each month of the year has its own special stone. This list of birthstones for each month has been largely adopted around the world and a piece of jewelry with a birthstone makes a very special gift.

The birthstone for each month is listed below, along with some useful tips and ideas.

Garnet is the birthstone for January. Garnet is a stone that ranges in color from a deep red claret color to a light brown. Garnets can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes and are commonly found cut in cabochons (smooth round surface) or faceted. Garnets look great in both silver and gold.

The birthstone of February is amethyst and this beautiful stone is found in colors from pale lilac to deep purple. Amethyst can be both a clear transparent color as well as a milky opaque and this means that there are many different types of jewelry available. Amethyst can also be found in its natural crystal shape and this makes for wonderful new age jewelry items.

The pale blue of aquamarine is the birthstone for March. This is a lovely stone that looks stunning set against the cool white of silver, white gold or platinum. Aquamarine is often found faceted and the facets give an inner light to the stones.

The traditional birthstone for April is the diamond, however, given the cost of diamonds, there are many other stones that can be substituted. Rock crystal or even man made stones such as cubic zirconia make perfect alternatives. Diamonds are traditionally thought of as being a clear bright white, however, over recent years colors have become very fashionable such as black and pink.

Emerald is the deep green birthstone of May. A good quality emerald is amongst the rarest stones on earth and is more valuable than diamonds. Most emeralds are included – this means they have visible markings. For most emeralds this is part of the unique beauty of the stone and the individual inclusions are what assures the wearer that the stone is genuine.

The birthstone of June is the pearl. Pearls can be found in different qualities, ranging from the highly prized and highly valued top end pearls through to mass market freshwater pearls. Many pearls are cultured and the quality of cultured pearls are generally exceptionally good.

July is celebrated with the bright red of ruby. Rubies are a lovely stone and have a long heritage. Many cultures have regarded ruby as being the stone of romance. The red stone is typically found faceted, however can also be found with a cabochon cut.

Peridot is the birthstone of August. Peridot is a lime green stone and looks wonderful combined with gold. It can be found in a variety of cuts and sizes. Peridot is often found cut into beads and this can make a lovely and versatile gift.

The September birthstone is sapphire. At one time sapphires were most commonly thought of as being a blue stone, however today many different colored sapphires are found and are highly valued. Pink, yellow and green sapphires are all readily available and make a great alternative to the traditional blue.

The birthstone of October is the white milky opal. Opals are known for their inner fire and good quality opals will catch and reflect the light so that bright colors flash through the stone. Opals can be found in many colors and are traditionally cut into smooth shapes.

Citrine is the birthstone of November. This is a gold colored stone and looks wonderful teamed with both gold and silver.

The birthstone for the final month of the year is turquoise. The distinctive color of the stone has also givens its name to this particular greeny shade of blue. Turquoise is often found set in silver as they complement each other. The stone is most often found cut into smooth shapes and in beads.

Hopefully this list of birthstones for each month is useful and will help you choose the perfect gift!

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