A Guide to Your Baby's Birthstone by Month
There are so many wonderful ways to commemorate the birth of your baby, but a piece of birthstone jewelry is one that lasts forever. Jewelry featuring their birthstone will serve as a meaningful and glittering reminder of the day you welcomed them into the world every time you wear it. And once they grow old enough to care for it properly, you can look into a small piece for them in their own stone, too.
The possibilities are endless for a stunning piece of birthstone jewelry to honor your little one, from stud earrings to a pendant necklace or beaded bracelet. If you have multiple children, creating a necklace or bracelet with birthstone charms is a beautiful way to commemorate their births in an everyday piece. You might also consider a birthstone stacking ring to be added to your important left-hand rings. Still other parents do a separate pendant, bangle, or cocktail ring featuring each birthstone of multiple children.
A simple and dainty piece or a stacker can be worn daily, as a constant homage to your littles that you keep on your person at all times. Or, consider statement birthstone pieces that are saved for special occasions. A cocktail ring featuring their birthstone, for example, is a gorgeous item to wear on their birthdays, important religious milestones, graduations, and wedding days.
No matter how you bring birthstone jewelry into your collection, it’s something you’ll love even more if you learn a bit about the history of your child’s stone (or stones!) and pass down the same info to them as they grow. Below are the birthstones for each of the twelve months of the year, and a bit of background on what makes each one special.
January Baby Birthstone: Garnet
While garnets are most often associated with a deep and alluring red tone, this stone is a diverse gem that comes in many hues. These include orange, pink, green, black, and golden-brown. The long-beloved birthstone’s name is from the Latin (granatus, or pomegranate). The connection makes sense color-wise, doesn’t it? And the fruit also informs garnet’s meanings and symbolism. Garnets are associated with a loved one or friend’s safe return—this can be linked back to the Greek myth of Persephone. In this ancient tale, Persephone is kidnapped by Hades and eats pomegranate seeds in captivity. Modern meanings tied to January babies’ stone include love and friendship, due to its blood/heart connections drawn by its signature red color.
Mined for thousands of years, the garnet decorated necks of Egyptian Pharaohs, showed up the “signet rings” of ancient Rome and later in the rings worn by clergy and nobility of the Middle Ages. It was also a favorite in the elaborate jewelry creations of the Victorian Era. Suffice it to say, when you wear a piece of garnet jewelry, you are wearing a piece of history.
February Birthstone: Amethyst
If you think it odd that the month of Valentine’s Day is paired with a purple stone instead of red or pink, cozy up for a bit of history on this dynamic variety of quartz.
Amethyst was believed to contain healing and calming properties and was worn by the ancient Greeks in association with Bacchus, the god of wine (who apparently was hopelessly in love with the goddess Amethyste). Many used it to stave off drunkenness or cure its aftermath, and other groups throughout history claim the amethyst helped to heal wounds. It is a stone of protection, wisdom, and stress relief—lovely symbolism for babies born in February…the last month that is fully winter.
Historically quite expensive and hard to get, more options exist today in acquiring an amethyst for your collection. Brazil was originally the main source of amethyst, but today it is mined throughout South America and parts of Africa and Bolivia.
March Birthstone: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
March babies may have unpredictable weather to reckon with in their birthday month, but on the upside, they have two vibrant and distinct birthstones to choose from! A true aquamarine gemstone with its pale and enchanting color is highly valuable and special. And the cool bluish bloodstone peppered with vibrant red color creates a unique look that will surely earn lots of compliments (and, it tends to be more affordable than its counterpart!).
The tranquil blue aquamarine stone borrows its name from the Latin—aqua marinus—or “water of the sea.” Due in large part to its color, aquamarine is considered a stone of hope and happiness—plus eternal youth. It’s no surprise that this same color is favored by many storybook princesses who hope to evoke similar ideals. Tied to its water association, ancient seafarers carried aquamarine to keep themselves safe out on the ocean.
If you’re opting out of the watery gem and in for something less traditional, the deep opaque quartz known as bloodstone is an interesting March stone. Its fiery red specks are perhaps why this stone is tied to endurance, physical strength, motivation, and creative energy (qualities also associated with Aries…one of March’s zodiac signs!).
April Birthstone: Diamond
One of the most widely celebrated and beloved stones belongs to April’s babies, a clear and shiny rock for the dawn of spring. Diamonds aren’t just beautiful, they’re strong: composed of pure carbon that is atomically bonded, these are among the toughest stones on earth. They also come in a variety of colors, adding even more intrigue to the shimmering stone.
Diamonds were first mined in India over 2,400 years ago. Coveted by the wealthy, they remained a hot commodity for centuries, brought from India to Venice in the Medieval era. In time, they would be utilized as symbols of love to seal an engagement with a diamond ring. Diamonds are thus associated with love and fidelity, and are a symbol of strength and health.
Diamond mining moved from India to Brazil, and now these gorgeous stones from all over the world, with new developments in technology putting lab-created diamonds out to consumers as a more affordable and ethical option. If you or your baby were born in April, you have the perfect excuse to buy a new piece of diamond jewelry.
May Birthstone: Emerald
Complementing the shoots of green popping up all over, the bright month of May has the rich green gem as its birthstone. These rare stones are found mainly in Colombia, with some emerald mining occurring in parts of Brazil and Africa. The elusive emerald has always been harder to find, making it even more sought after, especially by history’s elite.
Ancient rulers from Egyptian pharaohs to Incan emperors adorned themselves and their inner circle in emeralds; Cleopatra was also known to have a particular fondness for the deep green stones. The ancient Roman author Pliny wrote of the emerald in his Natural History, around AD 77, that “nothing greens greener.”
Pliny and other scholars throughout the years have claimed emeralds possess therapeutic properties. Science has also proven the theory that their particular shade of green is healing to our eyes. Throughout history, lore attached to the emerald is that they are magical stones. Love, hope, and eternal life have also been attributed to them. All of these are great reasons to love emeralds for your May baby…and seek one of these rare gems out for your own collection.
June Birthstone: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone
June one of three months that has a whopping three birthstones. These options offer unique properties and distinct looks for you and your June baby, but they all have a light, ethereal quality to them.
Pearls are the classic June birth association. Along with their signature creamy-white, soft reflecting texture they are also special because pearls are the only gemstone that are created by a living animal (oysters, clams, and mussels). Pearls are long-rumored to be wisdom stones, and are also symbols of protection and growing wealth. Pearls also resemble the moon—the ruling “planet” for Cancers (a June star sign).
Alexandrite is a less talked-about stone, but a very special one. This super-rare, color-changing gem typically appears turquoise-y green in certain light and red in others, due to its unique chemical makeup. Alexandrite tends to catch a higher price by the carat than diamonds and is a newer discovery than many on this list, first found in Russia in the 1830s. Alexandrite symbolizes luck, prosperity, and intellect.
And finally for June, the ethereal moonstone. Pearly and opalescent with different pastel and almost holographic color tones running through it, this beautiful stone is believed to have feminine energy and bring balance and tranquility. At an easier to manage price point than June’s other stones, it’s a pretty, practical pick in birthstone jewelry for you or your little one (and once again carries some meaning for Cancer babies).
July Birthstone: Ruby
A stone of passion, the red stunner is super-rare, the second hardest stone after the diamond, and a favorite the world over. In Indian culture, rubies are considered the life-blood stone, a symbol of power and youth. Back in the Medieval times, Europeans attributed good health, wisdom, and success in love and money to rubies.
Despite their rareness, rubies can be found in various places around the world; the earliest source of note was Myanmar, and today they are mined in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and others. If you decide to adorn yourself with these famously beloved rocks, just know the ruby will never go out of style, and will make a very glamorous way to mark your July baby’s birthday.
August Birthstones: Peridot, Spinel, Sardonyx
August babies are among the lucky few to have three birthstones to choose from…
Peridot is the most widely known August birth month stone, a shiny green that has more yellow to its shade than the emerald. Peridot is an “out-of-this-world” cool stone, which can be found underneath hardened lava and has come here on meteorites from space. This precious gem is soft and tender like your sweet new babe; it’s not recommended for daily wear and better suited to a statement necklace or cocktail ring worn only for special occasions.
Spinel delights in a literal rainbow of colors, busting those with August babies out of the green scene and anywhere your aesthetic wants you to go. Red spinel has often been misidentified as ruby, and historically it was revered for staving off illnesses and blood loss. These colorful stones are thought to be happiness-boosters and to keep anger away. This strong stone is a great alternative for everyday jewelry if you are worried about a peridot becoming damaged.
Sardonyx is one you might not have heard of before, but it has been in use for centuries and is even mentioned in the Old Testament. As its name implies, sardonyx is a combination of two types of quartz: sard and onyx. It was popular for etchings in ancient times and makes a beautiful option if you’d like to have Baby’s silhouette or monogram turned into a pendant or signet ring.
September Birthstone: Sapphire
The scintillating sapphire is one of the best-known stones, yet owning a piece is still rare. You probably recognize the deep blue sapphire shown here, but the stone comes in a host of colors including pink, green, orange, yellow, black, and brown! Sapphire has that “royal blue” thing going for it, and thus has been a favorite for nobility and royals for centuries. (Don’t you deserve one in honor of your little prince or princess?)
Today’s sapphires are found in many places around the world, including Kashmir, Myanmar, Australia, and even close to home in Montana, USA. The September baby birthstone has long been associated with faith and truthfulness and is believed to help clear the mind of negative thoughts. One of the best known sapphires in modern history adorned the left ring finger of Princess Diana, which she reportedly chose as her engagement ring because it reminded her of her mother’s ring. Sapphires are considered a stone of “new love;” is there a more fitting way to describe your feelings for that little bundle of joy?
October Birthstones: Opal and Tourmaline
October babies shimmer and shine with two very different birthstone options that actually look amazing–together! Both stones offer up rainbows of light and hold so much joy in their color alone. Looking at an opal, you will see a color dance happening right across the stone; tourmaline on the other hand is a gemstone that exists in a range of hues.
It’s no surprise that ancient peoples thought opals possessed magical powers and even bits of the sky. The unique “play-of-color” appearance of this stone led some to say it contained lightning and fell to earth during storms. Ancient Romans held the belief that the stone was tied to passion and romance, nicknaming it “the Cupid Stone.” In Indian mythology, the goddess of the rainbow was transformed into an opal, and many other cultures around the world have attributed powers like hope and truth to this lovely October birthstone.
Tourmaline holds onto the rainbow too, its name stemming from the Sinhalese word toramalli or “stone of mixed colors.” A more recent addition to the October lineup, tourmaline boasts gorgeous pink, deep green, oceanic turquoise, and fiery red and orange among its options. You could even create a stacking ring with a rainbow of tourmaline stones around it to honor an October baby; the hardness of this stone is suitable for everyday wear. Tourmaline is considered an encouraging stone that stamps out negative emotions. It offers up stunning shine, too.
November Birthstones: Topaz and Citrine
The two November birthstones share a honey-auburn color that’s perfect for the season. However, topaz is available in an array of hues outside the classic, too. Calming energies are attributed to both of these stones, a welcome feeling for this cozy time of year.
Topaz is a long-revered stone with cross-cultural significance from ancient Greece to modern India. Throughout the centuries, people have upheld that topaz offers good health and the warding off of disease, as well as a life of beauty. What’s not to love?
The other November baby birthstone is known for its signature, sparkling-honey hue. It is a quartz stone not dissimilar to topaz of the same color, so it follows that the two would share a birth month. Modern citrine is actually usually a heat-treated form of amethyst, and the stone’s golden color is perhaps responsible for the belief that it brings on prosperity and optimism.
What November’s birthstones have in common aside from sharing this lovely autumn month is that they are easier to find than many stones on this list, thus more affordable. If you’re shopping for November birthstone jewelry, you’ll find a gorgeous selection across all budgets.
December Birthstones: Turquoise, Tanzanite, and Zircon
The final month of the year features three unique stones that share a blue theme.
Turquoise offers more opaqueness than many of the stones on this list, giving it a cool look and, as many trend waves have found over the centuries, even more gender-neutrality. Turquoise was very important in Native American cultures and can still be found in various US States including Arizona and Nevada. The “powers” of turquoise across the globe have been said to include accuracy in battle (Apache Indians); health, fortune, and protection (Tibet); and peace (globally). In Europe it is considered the “forget-me-not” stone.
The vivid, saturated, blue-purple of the Tanzanite makes this scintillating stone (which has been a favorite of Tiffany & Co. for decades) a powerful pick in honor of your December babe. Tanzanite is a stone of heart and intellect, thought to bring longevity to the wearer. The stone is a bit tender under pressure and intense heat, so experts say using it in earrings or a pendant are safer bets than an everyday ring.
And finally, zircon rounds out December (and the year) with its various colors and mysterious beginnings. The roots of the stone’s name is up for debate, but possibilities include Arabic (“cinnabor, vermillion”) or Persian (“gold-colored”). Yes, the stone best known today for its clear-blue to turquoise shine can actually be found in red, orange, yellow, and brown as well. Victorians were particularly fond of zircon, so if you love estate jewelry and are shopping in honor of a December baby, that’s a lovely place to start.
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