Birthstones

Birthstones by Month

Every month has its stone. Here is the complete birthstone chart — the modern birthstone for each month, its color, and the meaning crystal tradition has long given it.

A birthstone is simply the gem tied to the month you were born — a small, personal piece of the calendar you can carry or wear. The list most people know today is the modern one, set by the American jewelry trade in 1912 and updated a handful of times since (tanzanite joined December in 2002, spinel joined August in 2016). It is the version you will see almost everywhere, and it is the one we lead with here.

What we add is the part the jewelry charts leave out: meaning. Long before there was an official list, cultures from the Ayurvedic tradition of India to the mystical lore of Tibet paired each month with a stone and a quality — protection, clarity, renewal, good fortune. We have spent 14 years among these stones, and on each month's page below you will find not just the modern birthstone but the older traditions behind it, the color to look for, and the crystals we would point you to.

The complete chart

Every month's birthstone

The modern birthstone for each month, its color, and the meaning tradition gives it. Tap a month for the full guide.

Good to know

Birthstone questions

What is my birthstone?

Find your birth month in the chart above. Each month has a modern birthstone — garnet for January, amethyst for February, and so on through to turquoise in December. A few months have more than one; June, October, November, and December each carry several.

Why do some months have more than one birthstone?

As the modern list was revised over the last century, alternatives were added — usually a more affordable or more available stone alongside the original. June has three (pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite); October has opal and tourmaline; November has topaz and citrine. Any of a month's stones is a correct choice.

What's the difference between modern and traditional birthstones?

The modern list is the trade standard set in 1912 and updated since. Older systems — the traditional Western list, the mystical (Tibetan) list, and the Ayurvedic list of India — sometimes assign a different stone to the same month. We lead with the modern stone because it's the one most people mean, and note the older traditions on each month's page for those who want the fuller story.

Are birthstones the same as zodiac stones?

Not quite. A birthstone is tied to your calendar month; a zodiac stone is tied to your sun sign, and signs straddle two months. They often overlap but aren't identical. Each month's page links across to the zodiac sign or signs that fall within it, so you can follow whichever thread you prefer.

Does a birthstone have to be an expensive gem?

No. Several months' stones are precious gems — diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire — but most have affordable crystal forms or well-loved alternatives, and we're a crystal shop first. On each month's page we point you to the pieces we'd actually reach for, at the kind of prices a crystal lover expects.

About Bliss · The Lineage

The crystal knowledge we share is grounded in years of hands-on work at Bliss Crystals — sourcing the stones, learning what each has meant across tradition, and passing it on with care.

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