Formed deep within the Earth over centuries, the birthstones they are more than just something pretty to throw.
They represent qualities and traits unique to your birth month.
Birthstones come in many forms and make great gifts for loved ones so they can treasure a piece of jewelry made especially for them.
While stones can sometimes vary by month, with specific months having more than one, your birthstone reveals a lot about the month you were born.
If you want to know more about your birthstone or that of a loved one, discover everything you need to know about each of these gemstones.
List of birthstones by month and the meanings of each
January Birthstone: Garnet
garnet meaning: Friendship, trust and eternal love
Hardness: 6.5-7.5
Many ancient cultures also believed that garnets had a special protective ability.
Its deep red color is associated with blood and heartso the stone is considered a symbol of love.
The red garnet stone is usually associated with this birth month, although this gem is available in almost all colors, including green (tsavorite and demantoid), orange (spessartine and hesionite), purple (rhodolite), yellow (mali and topazolite), rose (Malay), red (almandine and pyrope) and black (melanite).
The different colors of the stone are mined in Africabut the colored gem deep red is often found in Ivory Coast.
The word Garnet derives from the 14th century, where «gernet» meant a deep red color, and from the Latin word «granatum«, What does it mean seed; in this case, the seed of a pomegranate.
February Birthstone: Amethyst
Amethyst Meaning: peace, stability and clarity.
Hardness: 7
Wear this stunning purple gem to the club if you want to go out at night with some protection!
The ancient greeks they believed that this stone prevented people from getting drunkand named it after the Greek word «amethystos«, What does it mean «not intoxicated«.
You could also think of it as a symbol of clarity and lucidity.
These stones go from a light purple to a shade so dark it’s almost opaque.
Amethysts often appear in royal crowns and are used in the holy buddhist prayer beads in Tibet.
you will find amethysts all over the world because it is a derivative of quartzone of the minerals most common in the world.
Many of the world’s amethyst mines are located in Brazil and Uruguay.
March Birthstone: Aquamarine
Aquamarine Meaning: transformation, hope and clarity.
Hardness: 7.5-8
Those lucky enough to be born in March will have this calming stone to flatter.
Named for the words «aqua» for water and «marina» for sea, this stone symbolizes the calming power of the deep blue sea.
The stone is believed activate courage and, in Greek and Roman times, it was given to sailors to protect them on voyages.
The stone is derived from the mineral beryl, which varies from a very light, almost imperceptible blue to a deep, intense blue.
Brazil it is an important source of aquamarine. Other sources include Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), China, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Ukraine, and the United States.
April Birthstone: Diamond
diamond meaning: purity and innocence
Hardness: 10
Although many seek this stone, it traditionally belongs to those born in april. as one of the minerals toughest in the worldthey are one of the gems rarest and most sought after.
Since most diamonds naturally have a touch of yellowoften it is more affordable to buy colored versions of the stone.
In Renaissance times, they were given as engagement rings and had a resurgence in the 20th century, thanks to world-renowned diamond dealers De Beers.
Diamonds are mined in Australia, Botswana, Brazil, China, Congo, Russia and South Africa.
May Birthstone: Emerald
Emerald Meaning: inspiration, wisdom and harmony.
Hardness: 7.5-8
Emeralds were once associated with the magicit was thought that his presence helped wizards see visions.
Today, people still wear emeralds to increase psychic sensitivity and open the third eye chakra.
Other rare stonepure emeralds are often can cost more than a diamondresulting in many options lab-grown for birthstone jewelry.
They are loved for their deep green color, which hard to find in gems.
Emeralds are produced when beryl gets its green color from trace amounts of chromium or vanadiumalong with traces of iron.
It was known that Cleopatra adored this gem, claiming ownership of all the emerald mines in Egypt during his reign.
Today, emeralds are commonly mined in Brazil, Colombia, Zambia and Afghanistanwhere they must undergo an intense heat treatment to reveal their green color.
June Birthstone: Pearl
Pearl Meaning: Loyaltyintegrity and purity.
Hardness: 2.5-4.5
Many cultures believe that pearls symbolize inner wisdom and encourage a journey of self-discovery. Pearls have a feminine energy, which promotes balance and harmony.
Unlike all other mineral birthstones, the pearl comes from a living organism, mollusks. This means that they are more delicate than other birthstones.
The shellfish form a layer of calcium carbonate around the sand grains sequentially over time to form the white pearl. This process can take more than 3 years, although some cheaper versions are made more quickly at pearl farms by inserting seeds into shellfish so that they lay layers around themselves.
Most pearls come from southern China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia.
July Birthstone: Ruby
Ruby Meaning: passion, self-esteem and energy.
Hardness: 9
This stunning red gem decorates July birthdays.
Rubies are one of the four precious stones along with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. Rubies range in color from orange-red to red to slightly purplish red, and are derived from the Latin word for red, «rubeus.»
Due to their red color, unsurprisingly, these gems symbolize blood, life, and vitality. Ruby is also believed to help open the heart chakra.
The rarity of these gems led to many synthetic replicas being created since the 1900s; however, recent ruby discoveries in Africa have brought natural rubies back to the market at an affordable price.
Burma is one of the most famous ruby mining locations in the world. The stone is so important there that traditional Burmese warriors would implant rubies in their skin to protect them in battle.
August Birthstone: Peridot
Peridot Meaning: health, luck and abundance.
Hardness: 6.5-7
peridot is one of the oldest stones in the world.
It is associated with the chakra of the solar plexus and is often used in spiritual practices to balance mind and body and stimulate creativity.
Unlike the deep-hued emerald, those born in August can enjoy this bright, vibrant and shimmering green at a much more affordable price.
Peridot is typically found in the igneous rock, basalt, which forms from volcanic eruptions. So it’s no surprise that this gem is commonly found in Hawaii, even in crystal form on the beaches there.
According to Hawaiian folklore, the gem comes from the tears of the volcano goddess Pele. The word itself is possibly derived from the Greek word, «perodana», which means «to give much».
The San Carlos Reserve in Arizona produces most of the world’s gem-quality peridot.
September Birthstone: Sapphire
Sapphire Meaning: health, knowledge and integrity.
Hardness: 9
Sapphire is believed to help calm the mindpromoting the approach and the intuition.
Sapphire energy is often used in spiritual practices to help balance the mind and avoid overthinking and other patterns of negative thoughts.
The sapphire is known for its lovely blue and takes its name from the Latin word «sapphirus», which means (you guessed it!) «blue stone».
comes from ore corundumthat also forms rubies when it has a red inflection.
Its blue color was used to symbolize the sanctity of many western royal families and also represents the wisdom.
The rulers used to wear sapphire during treaty negotiations because of its connection to the wisdom and integrity.
Cashmerein Indiais known to produce some of the blue sapphires deepest in the worldbut you can also find sapphire mines in Australia and Madagascar.
October Birthstone: Opal
Opal Meaning: emotion, optimism and creativity.
Hardness: 5.5-6.5
Opal is believed to intensify the wearer’s mood, encouraging freedom of expression and creativity. Many ancient cultures believed that opal had healing and protective properties.
Opal comes from the Greek word «opallios», which translates as «to see a change of color».
This is probably because this stone has a unique ability to change hue when light hits it. Opal forms when water picks up silica dioxide and deposits it in open holes or cavities in the rock along with trace impurities.
Opal occurs in many different varieties. Black opals come from Australia, and there are also fire opals from Mexico, honeycomb opals from Ethiopia, and colorful common opals from Peru.
November Birthstone: Topaz
Topaz meaning: self-awareness, health and hope
Hardness: 8
Topaz is believed to have the most loving energy of all birthstones. Is used for open and stimulate the mind, promoting truth, inspiration and trust.
Topaz is named after the Greek name for the island of San Juan located in the Red Sea, Topazios, because yellow gems were mined on this island; however, geologists now assume that they were probably not topazes.
In its pure form, this gem is transparent, but it commonly takes on a wide range of hues from impurities.
Although most of the time it is a yellow stoneit is possible to find natural and treated versions of the stone in pink, purple, blue and amber colors.
Most of the world’s topaz comes from Brazilbut also occurs in Russia, Sri Lanka, United States, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, Germany and Australia.
December Birthstone: Turquoise
turquoise meaning: Wisdom, luck and hope.
Hardness: 5-6
Turquoise is a powerful stone thought to provide strength and protectionas well as inner peace.
Greenish-blue in color, turquoise is such a unique shade that it is a color of its own.
This bluish color is also associated with calming emotions. As it is opaque, it can be cut into free shapes to make the most of the stone.
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