Birthstones Meanings By Month
Did you know that each month of the year has a gemstone associated with it? There is a gemstone for the month of your birth, and each stone is thought to affect it’s wearer in positive ways and represent good personal qualities.
The stone may have a reputation for embuing the wearer with certain qualities, or offer protection.
If you are considering a gift for a new baby - or any friend - a piece of jewellery or a crystal representing the the month of their birth would make a lovely gift idea.
- January – Garnet
- February – Amethyst
- March – Aquamarine
- April – Diamond
- May – Emerald
- June – Pearl
- July – Ruby
- August – Peridot
- September – Sapphire
- October – Opal
- November – Topaz
- December – Turquoise
There are 20 different varieties of Garnet, the birthstone for January, in many different shades of red, but it is best know as a deep red stone. Garnet’s name derives from it’s resemblance to red pomegranate seeds and it is a semi-precious stone. The various shades of red depend on where it is mined.
It is believed to have healing powers and to enhance creativity and inspiration. It represents constancy and is also believed to bring peace, prosperity and good health to the wearer.
Amethyst is crystallised quartz, also known as Beryl and is typically purple or violet in colour. It is believed to have healing qualities and represents sincerity.
The birthstone for February is believed to bring clarity of mind and spiritual awareness.
Aquamarine, the birthstone for March, is a blue semi-precious stone in the Beryl family. It is thought to stabilize and balance the emotions and represents courage.
Aquamarine is associated with happiness and understanding and is believed to bring courage and creativity to the wearer.
Diamond is the most precious gemstone being composed of almost pure carbon. It is the hardest of all known substances. It is believed to help to focus one’s energy and represents innocence.
The birthstone for April, Diamonds are also believed to bring strength and courage to the wearer. Mined mainly in Africa, they also occur in Canada, Russia, Brazil and India. Whilst they are usually clear, they may also be yellow, brown or blue, depending in the impurites which they contain.
Emerald, the birthstone for May, is a green Beryl and one of the most valuable of all gemstones. It contains naturally occurring cracks. It is thought to sharpen intuition and have protective qualities. It represents love and success.
Emeralds are associated with rebirth and renewal and are believed to bring wisdom and growth to the wearer.
Pearl is a smooth, round growth formed naturally within the shell of a mollusc and used as a gem. It is absorbent so should always be put on last, after perfume or hairspray for example.
It becomes more beautiful as it worn against the skin. Pearls, which are the birthstone for June, are thought to help us walk with dignity and help with self acceptance. They represent health and longevity and represent purity and innocence.
Ruby is the birthstone for July, and it is a highly precious red corundum or sapphire. The colour is usually described as a pinkish red.
It is said to help self esteem, aid lucid dreaming and prevent nightmares. It represents contentment. Rubies are also associated with love, passion, and power and are believed to bring vitality and energy to the wearer.
Peridot is a transparent, yellow green gem and is believed to neutralize negative energy. It represents married happiness.
August's birthstone Peridot is associated with strength and balance. It is believed to bring good luck and success to the wearer. It is mainly mined in the US.
Sapphire, which is the birthstone for September, is one of the most precious stones, a member of the corundum family and is usually blue but may be white, pink or green. It is thought to enhance mental clarity and improve mood, and represents clear thinking, wisdom and truth.
Mined in many locations around the world it is popular for engagement rings. Sapphires may occur in a colourless form which can appear like a diamond.
Opal is a non-crystalline, iridescent gemstone which is usually a creamy white colour. It is thought to bring beauty, joy, luck and prosperity, and represents hope and purity.
October's birthstone opal is mined mainly in Australia and Ethiopia. it comes in a variety of shades and bing softer than most gemstones it is usually polished in to a rounded cabouchon shape rather than faceted,
Topaz is transparent when mined but when treated it may become blue, brown, yellow, orange pink or appear like a multi-coloured alexandrite. It is made from an unromantric sounding silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine and is most commonly used to make jewellery when it is treated to become a light blue shade.
The birthstone of November, it is said to have healing properties and give strength to anyone who wears it. it is also believed to neutralize negative energies and represent fidelity.
Turquoise is an opaque greenish-blue semi-precious stone which is thought to promote peace, friendship, balance and clarity of thought. It represents prosperity and good fortune.
December's birthstone Turquoise is most widely mined in the USA and Mexico and is also found in Iran and Sinai.