Birthstone Guide
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Considering gift ideas? Looking for your newest jewelry piece? Learn more about your or your loved one's birthstone in our guide!
January - Garnet
Garnet comes from the Latin word granatus, meaning grain. Garnet is mostly mined in Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Africa. Occurring in every color except blue, the garnet is a versatile stone, appropriate for a multitude of applications and occasions.
Available in a variety of natural colors with reddish shades being the most common, the garnet is a fairly common gemstone most commonly used in the Late Antique Roman world, and were often inlaid in gold jewelry.
February - Amethyst
Amethyst is a member of the quartz family, and ranges in color from light to deep purple. Amethyst is derived from the Greek word emthystos meaning not drunk. The ancient Greeks and Romans made drinking cups out of Amethyst believing that it would prevent intoxication.
Amethyst was thought by the ancient Greeks to protect the owner from drunkenness, who even went so far as to carve drinking vessels from the stone.
March - Aquamarine
Aquamarine, from Latin “aqua marina” or “water of the sea”, was named because of its blue or turquoise color. In the U.S., Aquamarine can be found in central Colorado and Wyoming.
A beautiful blue or cyan stone, commonly from Sri Lanka. The largest Aquamarine ever found weighed over 110kg in Brazil.
April - Diamond
The word "Diamond" comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unbreakable, or unalterable. Diamonds are composed of a single element, and are the purest of all the gemstones. The diamond is the ultimate symbol of love, and is said to symbolize strength, and enhance relationships.
Though often thought of as a colorless stone, a truly colorless diamond is a rarity. Usually diamonds have a light yellow tint, sometimes brown. Unique in that it's the only gem comprised of a single element carbon.
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Diamond earrings, diamond necklaces, diamond rings, and diamond bracelets.
May - Emerald
A true, deep green color, the emerald is a striking stone alleged to give its wearer a quicker wit and a higher IQ. These rare gems are often carved into a rectangular step cut, which is known as the emerald cut.
Emeralds can range in color from light to dark green. Its name comes from the Greek word smaragdos meaning green gem. Emeralds from Columbia are generally considered the most valuable.
June - Pearl
When thinking of the pearl, the color white usually comes to mind, but you can find pearls in black, gray, blue, yellow cream, lavender and mauve. When purchasing a pearl you want to consider the surface, luster, color, and shape. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but there are many shapes of pearl.
A hard object that grows in the soft tissue of a shelled mollusk. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth in shape, but are common in a variety of other shapes. pearls are seen as a classy alternative to typical gemstones, and are frequently worn with nearly every level of classiness.
July - Ruby
The word "ruby" is from the Latin "ruber," meaning red. The ruby is pink-red in color and extremely hard, and second only to the diamond in hardness. The ruby is one of the four precious stones, along with sapphire, emerald, and diamond. Rubies and pink sapphires are commonly confused, but a ruby must meet a minimum color saturation in order to be called a true ruby.
August - Peridot
Peridot is simply gem-quality Olivine, and only occurs in one color: olive-green. Olivine tends to be rather common, however, peridots are rather rare and can be found in odd places such as lavas and meteorites.
Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color, an olive green. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.
September - Sapphire
Sapphire is from the Greek word sappheiros, meaning blue stone. Although blue is the most well-known color for sapphires, sapphires are made up of any color of corundum except for red, which are rubies.
A gem long-associated with romance and royal leanings, Princess Di received a blue sapphire engagement ring from Prince Charles back in 1981. Despite a common misconception, not all sapphires are blue. Green, violet-blue, yellow, orange, pink and purple hued stones are known as “fancy” sapphires and range from very light to very dark in saturation.
October - Tourmaline and Opal
The national gemstone of Australia, the Opal can appear in a variety of colors, with black being the rarest. A wonder of nature is the fire opal which can include colors that seem to flicker between yellow to orange to red to green. 97% of the world's Opal is from Australia.
Available in a wide range of colors, Tourmaline’s name derives from the Sinhalese name, Turamali, which roughly translates to "stone with mixed colours". Occasionally they are discovered with a green to red color striation, which is referred to as "Watermelon Tourmaline".
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November - Citrine and Topaz
Citrine is a premier stone of manifestation, imagination, and personal will. Believed to carry the power of the sun, it is warm and comforting, energizing and life giving.
Naturally golden brown to yellow, it can appear in a variety of colors, but previously the name "Topaz" was used to refer to any yellowstone. Interestingly there is an English superstition that topaz cured lunacy.
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December - Turquoise and Blue Topaz
An opaque blue-to-green mineral, turquoise has long been used to ornament clothing, tribal masks, and worn as jewelry. The iconic burial mask of Tutankhamun was inlaid with turquoise as well as other stones. It was long thought to be a holy stone that could bring the wearer good fortune.
Blue topaz is a stone of peacefulness, calming to the emotions, and ideal for meditation and connecting with spiritual beings. It is believed to be a natural magnifier of psychic abilities, assisting those who wish to attune to inner guidance, as well as those who serve others through readings or spiritual healing.