Birthstones for each month

Birthstones are a popular gift for all manner of events, especially when set in deeply symbolic Irish and Celtic jewelry. They are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, with multiple stone pieces especially popular for Mother's Day. Read on to find out more about which birthstone goes with which month, how these associations came about, and the meanings and properties ascribed to these special gems.

Gemstones and Traditions

Over many years, some gemstones have become synonymous with different traditions; diamonds for an engagement or a 10th anniversary; emeralds for a 20th wedding anniversary; rubies for romantic couples marking their 40th anniversary; or sapphires for an impressive 45th anniversary. Birthstones as we know them today, are a relatively recent custom, but one that has ancient roots.

Birthstone Traditions

Believe it or not, birthstones can trace their roots back thousands of years to the time of the Bible and using them in jewelry is a more recent and lovely tradition that goes all the way back to the 16th century.

In the birthstone tradition, a precious or semi precious stone represents a different month of the Gregorian calendar. Thought to originate in Poland or Germany, and popularised in the 1800's, this custom has now been enthusiastically adopted worldwide. Some of our most popular gift choices come from our beautiful Birthstone collection.

Which Birthstone goes with each Month?

This isn't such an easy question to answer. It really depends! There are many, many birthstone lists, both old and modern, sometimes with different variations depending on where you are in the world.

Gregorian Birthstone Poem

Even without all that variation, remembering which stone goes with which month can be tricky. Looking back through our archive we found rhymes and poems, some that date back to the late 1800s, that served as a way to remember the stones associated with each month. They were also used to share the meaning and benefits to be gained from owning and wearing each birthstone. Many of the verses read as spectacularly old-fashioned and some are downright insulting! But there is some charm to these old rhymes too. Here is one of the earliest Gegorian Birthstone poems we could find dating to 1870:

January

By her who in this month was born,
No gem save Garnets shall be worn.
They will ensure her constancy,
True friendship, and fidelity.

February

The February born shall find,
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they the Amethyst will wear.

March

Who in this world of ours their eyes,
In March first open shall be wise,
In days of peril firm and brave,
And wear a Bloodstone to the grave.

April

She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds should wear, lest bitter tears.
For vain repentance flow; this stone,
Emblem of innocence is known.

May

Who first beholds the light of day,
In Spring's sweet flowery month of May,
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved and a loving wife.

June

Who comes with summer to this Earth,
And owes to June her hour of birth,
With ring of Agate on her hand,
Can health, wealth, and long life command.

July

The glowing Ruby shall adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they'll be exempt and free,
From love’s doubts and anxiety.

August

Wear Onyx or for thee,
No conjugal felicity;
The August-born without this stone,
'Tis said, must live unloved and lone.

September

A maiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze,
A Sapphire on her brow should bind;
Twill cure diseases of the mind.

October

October’s child is born for woe,
And life’s vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest.

November

Who first comes to this world below
With drear November's fog and snow,
Should prize the Topaz amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true.

December

If cold December gave you birth
The month of snow and ice and mirth
Place on your hand a Turquoise blue;
Success will bless whate'er you do.

Later versions of these rhymes have plenty of changes to reflect more modern tastes, with a shift toward translucent gems that could be cut and faceted for each month. There is also a little more sensitivity too! For example:

• In the verse for January, the call for "fidelity" changes to the lighter touch "felicity."
• March has its birthstone updated to "beryl" for the modern stone associated with the month, aquamarine.
• May has its verse updated to be a little more neutral regarding relationship status, changing to “those who wear an Emerald on their breast, will be beloved, happy and blessed."
• June sees the heavy and tricky to color match agate fall out of favour, replaced with the modern birthstones of Pearl, or Alexandrite.
• August's birthstone is also updated to the more modern stone for the month, Peridot
• Big claims of helping "diseases of the mind" are thankfully deleted for September and instead Sapphire is said to bring “joy and peace of mind.”
• The less durable opal for October is replaced by the pink variety of tourmaline in modern birthstone lists
• For November, amber topaz is replaced by sunny, and more readily available citrine and "drear November" switches to a more modern but less fun "dreary November."
• December also gets an update with "topaz blue" instead of the softer more easily damaged turquoise.

Modern Birthstones for each Month

January Birthstone:

Garnet is the gemstone typically associated with January in both the old and the modern tradition. It is a very hard stone prized for its deep color, usually an intense purple or red, but they can also be orange or even green! Garnets have a beautiful and sometimes diamond-like lustre and this lovely stone has been used in jewelry for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians set them in rings and used them for intricate inlay.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful January birthstone jewelry here.

February Birthstone:

Amethyst for February is another very hard stone making it ideal for use in jewelry. This combined with its lovely pale lilac to deep purple color, its clarity and luster, sees Amethyst hold its place on both the old and the modern birthstone lists. Used in the British Crown Jewels, they were also a favorite of Catherine the Great and Egyptian royalty. The color purple was historically associated with royalty and power, making Amethyst a regal choice.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful February birthstone jewelry here.

March Birthstone:

Aquamarine is another exceptionally hard stone, part of the beryl family, and it is so named for it’s beautiful sea-blue colors ranging from light to dark-blue. This has lead to it being widely adopted for the modern March birthstone. Prized for this color, and a lovely vitreous luster, aquamarine was also a traditional gift for a bride on her wedding day. Symbolizing unity and love, its a neat option for ‘something blue” for a bride or a lovely gift for those with a March birthday.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful March birthstone jewelry here.

April Brithstone:

Babies lucky enough to be born in April have diamond, the most prized stone of all as their birthstone - on both modern and old lists. Diamonds are the hardest of all gemstones and have fantastic fire and sparkle. Most diamonds used in jewelry are colorless but they can have a range of colors such as pink and blue. The ancient greeks referred to them as tears of the gods.

For a more affordable but equally stunning variation for this month, CZ or Cubic Zirconia is a beautiful and eye catching lab created stone with fabulous sparkle, excellent hardness, and color and clarity comparable to Diamond, making it a contemporary favorite.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Diamond jewelry here and our April birthstone jewelry here.

May Birthstone:

Emerald is closely associated with Ireland due to its beautiful deep green color and is the birthstone fro lucky May babies on both the old and modern lists. It's easy to see why! Emerald is a lovely precious stone, and it's not just the Irish or those lucky to be born in May that prize it. Cleopatra, the late Queen of England, and Elizabeth Taylor all famously wore and cherished beautiful emerald jewelry. Emerald is now also a popular choice for engagement rings.

If you are interested to know more about this striking precious stone, learn 7 surprising facts about emerald here or check out our comprehensive guide, complete with tips on how to buy.

You can also browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Emerald jewelry here and our May birthstone jewelry here.

June Birthstones:

Lucky June babies have not one, or two, but three birthstones to choose from. They are spoiled for choice with both the old and the more modern birthstone choices remaining popular.

Pearl

Though not technically a gemstone, Pearl has a long association with the month of June and beautiful pearl jewelry is a traditional gift for lucky June babies!

Moonstone

The second is moonstone which has roots in jewelry that go back to Roman times. They believed moonstone was derived from solidified rays of the Moon. Today we know it is a type of feldspar with a cloudy milky luster called adularescence.

Alexandrite

Named for a Russian Czar after its discovery in 1834, Alexandrite is the third birthstone associated with June. Prized for its spectacular ability to change color depending on light, Alexandrite can change from green and blue by daylight to purple and red indoors. The natural stone is exceedingly rare making it more expensive even than diamond. It is rarely found in jewelry outside a museum these days. However with more affordable lab varieties, June babies don’t have to miss out on their truly beautiful birthstone!

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful June birthstone jewelry here.

July Birthstone:

Diamond is the only natural gemstone harder than ruby, making it an ideal choice for jewelry. Those born in July are lucky to have ruby as their beautiful birthstone on both old and modern lists. With its characteristic deep red color, hardness, and its ability to give off a fiery glowl, Ruby also has uses beyond jewelry. Both natural and lab rubies used in watchmaking, medical instruments and lasers!

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Ruby jewelry here and our July birthstone jewelry here.

August Birthstone

Just like June babies, those born in August have three gems to choose from owing to the mix of old and modern birthstone lists. Peridot is the beautiful gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine and the main birthstone for August, with onyx and spinel rounding out the choices.

Peridot

With excellent hardness, the natural form of stunning green peridot forms deep inside the earth. It is brought to the surface by volcanoes and is associated with Pele, the volcano goddess of fire, in Hawaii. Peridot has even occasionally been found inside meteorites. A beautiful and other-worldly choice for August babies!

Spinel

Spinel is a bit of a chameleon coming in a rainbow of colors including vivid red, cobalt blue, pink, orange, lavender, black, violet, greenish-blue, grey, mauve, yellow or brown! Given this variety, Spinel has regularly been mistaken for other gemstones. Some of the most famous "Rubies" in history have turned out to be Spinel, including the large "Ruby" at the center of the British Crown Jewels!

Onyx

Onyx has a long history of use in jewelry. The ancient Romans believed Onyx bestowed courage, while in Chinese culture it was considered grounding for its wearer. Renaissance Europeans wore onyx for eloquence and it was used to give strength to expectant mothers in childbirth! This stone continues to be treasured today as many wearers believe it brings feelings of reassurance, courage and determination.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful August birthstone jewelry here.

September Birthstone

Most know Sapphire as a beautiful deep blue gemstone and it has held its spot as the birthstone on both old and modern lists. However this exceptionally hard stone actually occurs in every hue except red. This color goes by a different name - they are called rubies instead!

Sapphire has many more surprising secrets too as you can discover here. Prince William famously gave Catherine Middleton a beautiful 12-carat blue sapphire engagement ring (his mother’s ring) when he proposed in 2010. Sapphire is now a popular choice for engagement rings and a lovely gift for a September baby.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful Sapphire jewelry here and our September birthstone jewelry here.

October Birthstone

As we saw above, the less durable opal for October has been largely superseded by the modern birthstone, the tourmaline. The name, tourmaline means "stone of mixed colors" and it stands apart from other gems in its sheer variety of colors - sometimes even within the one stone. An Egyptian legend even proposed tourmaline got its color by passing through a rainbow journeying up from the earth’s center.

We use a pink lab created birthstone for October in our jewelry - one of the most desirable and beautiful colors for tourmaline. Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful October birthstone jewelry here.

November Birthstone

Amber topaz was the stone associated with November before it was superseded by another citrus hued stone on modern lists. Citrine is a beautiful pale yellow to orange variety of quartz which takes its name from citron fruit. It is a very hard mineral and so it is largely resistant to scratches and everyday wear-and-tear—making it a lovely option for very wearable jewelry and a fabulous birthstone for November babies.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful November birthstone jewelry here.

December Birthstone

As we saw above, December was associated with turquoise. However turquoise is a softer stone, and susceptible to damage making it a less desirable option for jewelry that might be worn every day. Blue Topaz is the stunning and more resilient alternative on modern birthstone lists for people born in December.

Topaz is a hard gem which can also be found in any color of the rainbow, making them a beautiful option for jewelry. Natural deposits of blue topaz can be found in Texas, and it was named the official gemstone of both Texas and Utah in 1969.

Browse My Irish Jewelers beautiful December birthstone jewelry here.