A birthstone links a piece of jewellery to a person. Some people wear their own. Others wear the month of a partner, a child or a parent, or choose a birthstone to mark a new baby’s arrival.
Each month has its traditional stone, from garnet in January and amethyst in February through to opal in October and tanzanite in December. The full list, with the colours and the alternative stones some months also have, is in the table below. If you are choosing a birthstone as a present, our guide to how to choose a gift that lasts shows where it fits among other milestone gifts.
At Anupam, our birthstone pendants are sterling silver set with cubic zirconia in the colour of each month’s stone. They are not real gemstones, and we would rather say so plainly. For the real stones, look at our gemstone rings, which include sapphire, ruby, emerald, tanzanite, aquamarine and opal.
What is my birthstone?
Birthstones follow the calendar month you were born in, not your star sign, so anyone born between 1 and 31 March shares aquamarine.
| Month | Birthstone | Colour | Also given |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | Deep red | – |
| February | Amethyst | Purple | – |
| March | Aquamarine | Pale sea blue | Bloodstone |
| April | Diamond | Colourless | – |
| May | Emerald | Green | – |
| June | Pearl | Creamy white | Moonstone, alexandrite |
| July | Ruby | Red | – |
| August | Peridot | Yellow-green | Spinel, sardonyx |
| September | Sapphire | Blue | Lapis lazuli |
| October | Opal | Milky white, with flashes of colour | Tourmaline |
| November | Topaz | Golden yellow, or blue | Citrine |
| December | Tanzanite | Blue-violet | Turquoise |
Birthstone lists vary a little depending on who publishes them, so you may see a different alternative for some months.
Why do some months have more than one birthstone?
The lists have grown over the years. Older, traditional lists gave a single stone for each month, and as other stones became popular, the jewellery trade added them as alternatives. Tanzanite, for example, was only found in 1967, in Tanzania, which makes it the youngest gem on the list.
If you prefer one stone to its alternative, wear that one.
Are birthstone pendants real gemstones?
Ours are not. Our birthstone pendants are sterling silver (925), set with cubic zirconia in the colour of each month’s birthstone. Cubic zirconia, often shortened to CZ, is a man-made stone.
What you get is the colour of the month in a pendant you can wear often, at a gentler cost. Cubic zirconia is softer than diamond, at around 8–8.5 on the Mohs scale compared with diamond’s 10, so with prolonged wear it can pick up scratches and lose some of its brilliance.
A note on April: its birthstone is diamond, and a colourless cubic zirconia can look like one at a glance. It is not a diamond, and we never describe it as one. Our article on moissanite, lab-grown and natural diamonds explains how cubic zirconia compares.
Browse our pendants to see the birthstone range. Where a month has two stones, such as topaz or citrine for November, you choose which colour you would like.
Where can you find the real stone?
Here is where to look for the real birthstone in our collections.
| Month | Real stone | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| March | Aquamarine | Gemstone rings |
| April | Diamond, natural or lab-grown | Diamonds and lab-grown diamonds |
| May | Emerald | Gemstone rings |
| June | Pearl | Pearl jewellery |
| July | Ruby | Gemstone rings |
| September | Sapphire | Gemstone rings |
| October | Opal | Gemstone rings |
| December | Tanzanite | Gemstone rings |
For January, February, August and November, ask us: we stock all the birthstones, and offer alternatives as well.
A ring that holds more than one birthstone, one for each person in a family, is the kind of piece we can design with you, and our bespoke page explains how that begins. Two stones set side by side make a toi et moi ring; toi et moi rings explains the style.
Which birthstones suit a ring you wear every day?
It depends on how hard the stone is, and how well it copes with knocks.
- The hardest: diamond, sapphire and ruby. These are the best suited to a ring worn every day.
- Hard, but brittle: emerald often has tiny internal flaws that make it more brittle than you would expect, so a protective setting helps.
- Sturdy enough for most rings: aquamarine, garnet, amethyst, citrine and tourmaline.
- Softer: tanzanite, peridot, opal and pearl. They are not wrong for a ring, but a hard knock can chip or scratch them, so they are happier in pendants and earrings, or in a ring kept for special days.
Our advice: if you would like one of the softer stones in a ring you wear every day, tell us how you wear your rings and we can look at the setting with you. For the alternative stones not listed here, ask about the particular stone before choosing it for everyday wear. Whichever you choose, have the setting and claws checked periodically.
What are the October and November birthstones?
October: opal or tourmaline
Opal is milky, with flashes of colour as it moves. It is softer than most gemstones, so it needs a gentle life: keep it away from hard knocks and sudden changes of temperature, and put it on last when you dress. Tourmaline comes in almost every colour and is a harder stone, so it is a good choice if you would like an October stone in a ring you wear daily.
November: topaz or citrine
Topaz is the main November stone, in golden yellow or blue. Citrine is the alternative, and its warm golden yellow is the colour most people picture for November.
Can you wear a birthstone that isn’t yours?
Yes. Plenty of people wear the stone of someone they love, and plenty more choose a stone for its colour alone.
See the stones in person
Colour is easier to judge in daylight than on a screen. Book a time with us in Ashford to see the gemstone rings and birthstone pendants side by side, or browse our pendants and gemstone rings online.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dates for each birthstone?
Each birthstone covers the whole calendar month, from the 1st to the last day; star signs run across two months, which is why the two are sometimes confused.
What colour is the January birthstone?
Deep red, the colour garnet is best known for.
Will a sterling silver birthstone pendant tarnish?
Sterling silver can tarnish over time. A polish brings it back, and we polish jewellery at our bench in Ashford; how to look after your jewellery has more on caring for it at home.
Is a birthstone pendant hallmarked?
By law, sterling silver must be hallmarked once a piece weighs 7.78g or more. A lighter pendant is exempt, so it may not carry a mark; either way, the metal is stated on the listing.
