Which birthstone belongs to my month?

Your birthstone is set by the month you were born, and for most months there is one obvious answer: garnet for January, sapphire for September, ruby for July. A handful of months give you a choice because the historical lists collected more than one stone, or because a stone was added later. The full month-by-month breakdown is in the table below, and each month has its own detailed guide linked from the cards further down this page.

On our bench in Coquitlam we get asked the same question every week: "is my birthstone the blue one or the purple one?" The honest answer is that no single worldwide authority was ever agreed on by everyone. There are two lists worth knowing, and they mostly overlap.

Why the modern and traditional lists differ

The modern list is the practical one. It was put together in 1912 by the jewellers' trade body in North America (now Jewelers of America) to settle the confusion and give shops a single set of stones to stock and sell. It leans toward gems that are reasonably available and affordable, which is why some months picked up a second, easier-to-find stone over the years.

The traditional list reaches back much further, to older European and Polish lists from past centuries, and to some degree to gem lore that pre-dates the modern gem trade entirely. Those older lists sometimes name a different stone for the same month, which is where the "alternate" stones come from. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) keeps a useful record of both.

The list is not frozen. The most recent change came in 2016, when spinel was added as an official August birthstone alongside peridot. It was the third update since 1912, made by Jewelers of America together with the American Gem Trade Association, and the spinel addition is set out on the Jewelers of America spinel page. So if you read an older chart that lists only peridot and sardonyx for August, it simply pre-dates that change.

Practical takeaway: wear whichever you like. There is no rule that forces you onto the modern stone. Plenty of people pick the traditional alternate because the colour suits them better, and that is a perfectly good reason.

The master birthstone chart

This table covers all twelve months: the modern birthstone, the traditional or alternate stone(s), the main colour, the meaning in a few words, and the Mohs hardness. Mohs is a 1-to-10 scratch-resistance scale where 10 (diamond) is the hardest; the values below follow the GIA Gem Encyclopedia.

If you want the deeper history, colour grades and care notes for any single month, follow that month's guide in the grid below. For a broader look at gem properties and how they're graded, see our jewellery and gemstone guide.

What hardness actually means for a ring

Hardness is the number people skip, and it is the one that decides whether a stone survives daily wear. The Mohs scale measures resistance to scratching, not toughness against a sharp knock, but it is a fair guide. Anything at 8 or above (diamond, ruby, sapphire, topaz, spinel) handles everyday ring life well. Stones in the 6 to 7 range (garnet, amethyst, peridot, tanzanite, opal) are fine but want a setting that protects the edges, and they will scratch over years of wear against harder grit. Pearl sits right at the bottom of the wearable range, so we always steer pearl into earrings, pendants or occasion rings rather than a daily band.

This is where buying from a shop with an on-site goldsmith earns its keep. When someone wants a soft stone like opal or pearl in a ring, we'll talk through a bezel setting (a metal rim that wraps the stone) or a protected design rather than exposed prongs, so the piece actually lasts.

Birthstone gift ideas

Birthstones make easy, personal gifts because the meaning is built in: you don't have to explain why you chose it. A few that work well in practice:

• A simple birthstone pendant is the safest first gift. It suits any age, any month, and softer stones like opal or pearl are happy in a pendant.
• Stacking rings for a family, one slim band per child's birthstone, are a favourite for mothers and grandmothers.
• Stud earrings in the birthstone colour are low-risk and wearable daily, even for softer gems.
• A "mother's ring" or family piece that sets several months' stones together. We make these to order on the bench so the stones and metal match what the person actually wears.

If you're shopping for an occasion rather than a specific month, come in and tell us the budget and the milestone, and we'll point you to something that suits the person and lasts.

Frequently Asked Questions