We think today that there is one birthstone per month or per week of the year, a quick glance over the history of birthstones says something very diverse. In fact, most months have been represented by many different gemstones.
| Birth stone by Day |
Gemstone color of the day |
Gemstone |
| Sunday |
Red color |
Ruby, Red Spinal, Garnet, Rubellite |
| Monday |
Yellow color |
Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Topaz, Citrine |
| Tuesday |
Pink color |
Pink Sapphire, Pink diamond |
| Wednesday |
Green color |
Green Garnet, Emerald, Jade |
| Thursday |
Orange color |
Garnet, Fire opal |
| Friday |
Blue color |
Blue sapphire, Blue Topaz, Aquamarine |
| Saturday |
Violet or black color |
Amethyst, Violet sapphire, Black sapphire |
There's a great deal of controversy of which stones were actually meant, translation being an imperfect art, but there's no doubt that each of the twelve stones was meant to represent one of the Twelve Houses. These stones eventually became associated with the Kabala, and with the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac. Each of the stones was ascribed a 'personality', and defining characteristics, as well as healing properties that matched the particular vulnerabilities of that Zodiacal sign.
At the same time, other cultures were developing similar traditions concerning gemstones. Indian Ayurvedic tradition has its own system of gemstones for the birth months, as did the Romans, the Polish, the Arabic and the Italian. The ancients believed that the powers of a gemstone were held by and unleashed through - the color of the stone. Thus in one culture, the stone that represents January is a garnet. In another it's a ruby. In yet another culture, the month and Zodiac sign are less important than the day of the week. It wasn't until the mid-1500s that people began to wear gemstones to attract luck, protection and other qualities connected to the gems.
Most people know. The American National Association of Jewelers assigned birthstones to each of the twelve calendar months to create the modern birthstone chart that is in use today. Several alternate birthstones have been added in the years.
If you were born in January, your birthstone is the garnet. Unless you don't like garnets... because with the wide variety of systems to choose from, you can always find a birthstone that you like, no matter when you were born. The chart below is far from comprehensive, but it will give you some idea of the choices that you have for birthstones for the month of your birth.
There are birthstones of every color for every month. In June, for example, moonstones come in a veritably rainbows, as do September's sapphires and October's tourmaline and many others. No matter what your favorite color or stone you'll find a reason to claim it as your own birthstone.
| Birth stone by Month |
Birthstone |
Auspicious |
| January |
Garnet. (All colors) |
For good health |
| February |
Amethyst |
Sincerity |
| March |
Aquamarine |
Beauty and honesty |
| April |
Diamond and White Topaz |
Symbol of Fortune and Treasure |
| May |
Emerald |
Faithful, and Courage |
| June |
Pearl |
Innocence and long life |
| July |
Ruby |
Success and Sacrifice |
| August |
Peridot |
Fame |
| September |
Sapphire (All colors) |
Love and Compassion |
| October |
Opal |
Happiness and fulfillment |
| November |
Yellow Topaz, Yellow Zircon |
Luck and Friendship |
| December |
Turquoise |
Wealth |
