January — Garnet
Usually imagined as a rich red stone, garnet actually occurs in a remarkable range of colours.
Traditionally associated with protection, friendship and constancy.
February — Amethyst
The purple variety of quartz.
Its colour can range from pale lilac to deep violet.
Amethyst has a long history of association with calm, clarity and royalty.
March — Aquamarine & Bloodstone
Aquamarine takes its name from the Latin words associated with seawater, and its blue-to-blue-green colour makes the connection obvious.
Bloodstone offers March an entirely different character: traditionally a dark green chalcedony with red markings.
April — Diamond
Perhaps the best-known birthstone of them all.
Diamond's exceptional hardness and enduring nature have helped make it a symbol of strength and lasting love.
May — Emerald
That unmistakable green.
Emerald is the green variety of beryl and has been treasured for thousands of years.
It has long been associated with spring, renewal and rebirth.
June — Pearl, Moonstone & Alexandrite
June is spoiled for choice.
Pearls are organic gems created within molluscs.
Moonstone is loved for its floating, moon-like sheen.
Alexandrite is famous for its remarkable colour change under different lighting conditions.
July — Ruby
Ruby is the red variety of corundum — the same mineral family as sapphire.
Its intense colour has made it a symbol of passion, vitality and power across cultures.
August — Peridot, Spinel & Sardonyx
Peridot brings an unmistakable yellow-green to green.
Spinel occurs in a wonderful range of colours and was historically mistaken for other gemstones, including ruby.
Sardonyx combines layers of sard and onyx and has been used in jewellery and carving for centuries.
September — Sapphire
Most people picture blue, but sapphire occurs in many colours.
Ruby and sapphire are both corundum; red corundum is called ruby, while the other gem-quality colours fall under sapphire.
Traditionally associated with loyalty, truth and sincerity.
October — Opal & Tourmaline
Opal can display flashes of spectral colour known as play-of-colour.
Tourmaline offers an extraordinary palette, from pink and green to striking multi-coloured crystals.
November — Topaz & Citrine
Topaz occurs in several colours, while citrine is the yellow-to-orange variety of quartz.
Together they give November its warm, golden palette.
December — Turquoise, Tanzanite & Zircon
Three very different stones.
Turquoise has been treasured since antiquity.
Zircon is a natural gemstone with impressive brilliance and should not be confused with cubic zirconia.
And tanzanite — with its extraordinary blue-violet colour — has a particularly special connection to our part of the world, being found commercially only in Tanzania.
A stone doesn't need your birthday to belong to you
Choose a birthstone because it's yours.
Choose your child's.
Your partner's.
Your mother's.
Or ignore the calendar entirely and choose the stone whose colour makes you happy.
That's the wonderful thing about jewellery.
The story can be inherited — or you can create your own.
If you'd like to incorporate birthstones into a piece, talk to us. We can help you consider colour, durability and how different stones might work together in the design.
Reference Note
Birthstone associations and gemological descriptions informed by Gemological Institute of America (GIA) birthstone guidance. Historical symbolism is presented as tradition rather than scientific property.