Birthstones
Birthstones & their meanings.
Please use this list as a guide only. You may choose to go for the traditional birthstone in your jewellery or you may go with a colour to be indicative of the Birthstone colour.
JANUARY- GARNET
Color: Dark red
Meaning: Protection
Garnet brings purity, truth, faithfulness and friendship.
Garnets are typically known for being a burgundy red color, but they actually come in many colors like green, yellow and even dark brown. Garnets have a high refractive index which gives onlookers the impression that the gem is emitting light. Garnet is derived from the Latin word meaning grain or seed, and a possible reference to a pomegranate. Red garnets were the most popular gemstone of the end of the Roman Empire.
It also a present for 2nd anniversary.
FEBRUARY- AMETHYST
Color: Purple
Meaning: Wisdom
Amethyst is said to bring good luck, stability and intuition.
Amethyst comes in a variety of purples, from light lavender to deep dark purple. Amethyst is a semi-precious gemstone in the quartz family and it can be found all over the world. Africa is the leading supplier of amethysts today with rich purple gems offering pink & red hues. Uruguay is another supplier of amethysts that have an electric blue flash. Amethyst is said to be derived from the Greek word meaning intoxication. The Greeks believed that wearing an amethyst would protect them from becoming drunk. They have been set into jewelry since ancient Egypt and continue to be very popular today.
It is also a present for the 6th wedding anniversary.
MARCH- AQUAMARINE OR BLOODSTONE
Aquamarine-
Color: Blue or Cyan
Meaning: Serenity
Aquamarine represents sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship
Aquamarine comes in a great variety of blues. From translucent blue to a sea blue/green. This makes it a perfect accent for spring fashion. Aquamarine comes from the beryl family- the same family as the emerald. The blue color comes from iron deposits where the stone is formed. The most common mines are in Brazil, Sri Lanka, and South-East Asia. Usually the larger stones have more intense colors. The darker colors are harder to find naturally, but the value of the deeper colors has led to heat treatment of the stones to darken the color. The name comes from the Latin word “aqua,” which means water, and “marina,” which means the sea. Sailors believed in its protection and brought them on voyages.
It is also a present for the 19th wedding anniversary.
Bloodstone-
Color: Dark green with red, brown and multicolor spots
Meaning: Creativity & Protection
Bloodstone represents knowledge
Bloodstones are usually cut into cabochons, but can be cut into faceted stones if they are very high quality. They are part of the chalecodony family. This family consists of thin layers of tiny quartz fibers. Because of these fibers, it is very tough and recognized as an excellent carving material. In the Middle Ages the red spots in the stone were thought to be the blood of Jesus and the stone was thought to have miraculous powers.
APRIL-DIAMOND
Color: White, Black, Pink, Yellow, Blue
Meaning: Strength
Diamonds represent true love, passion and spirituality
Diamonds are the most expensive, precious and coveted gemstone. They are also extremely luminous. Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring material and they are made from carbon. Because of their hardness they are also used in the industry for cutting and polishing tools. Most diamonds were formed between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years ago at depths between 93- 155 miles in the Earth’s mantle. The name diamond is derived from the Greek word ‘Adamas’ which means invincible. Approximately 130 million carats are mined annually with a total value of $9 billion. Originally diamonds were only found in India in the 9th century BC. Around the time these sources were exhausted, Brazil eclipsed India in production. In the 1870s diamonds were found in Africa. Production has increased over time and now about 49% of diamonds come from there. New mines have also started production and they are located in Canada, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Russia. Today, most commercially viable diamond deposits are in Russia, Botswana, Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The colorless beauty and inner fire of the diamond has made this precious gem prized for centuries. It is the stone of commitment, faithfulness, and promise between partners.
It is also a present for the 10th, 60th & 75th wedding anniversaries.
MAY- EMERALD
Color: Green
Meaning: Hope
Emerald symbolizes loyalty, faith, love and friendship
Emeralds are a rich & majestic green color because of trace amounts of chrominum. The finest stones will be saturated and have a hue that is vivid. They are precious gemstones loved by many people around the world. Emeralds are the rarest gemstones and they are part of the beryl family. The surface is very scratch resistant, but the crystal lattice that makes up the gem is prone to fracture from impacts. Emeralds are known to have inclusions and for this reason, an emerald with no cracks visible to the naked eye is classified as flawless, even if there are flaws that can be identified using magnification. They are typically mined in Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Zambia. Emeralds are named after the Latin word ‘esmaralda’ which translates roughly to a green gem.
It is also a present for the 20th& 35th wedding anniversaries.
JUNE- PEARL OR ALEXANDRITE OR MOONSTONE
Pearl-
Color: White, Pink, Silver, Cream, Brown, Green, Blue, Black, Yellow, Orange, Red, Gold, Purple
Meaning: Purity
Pearls represent beauty, happiness, love and wealth.
Pearls are the only gem that are created by living creatures. Naturally occurring pearls are very rare, usually they are cultured. Pearls are cultivated primarily for jewelry. They are made from multiple layers of nacre built-up. The thinner and more numerous the layers, the finer the luster of the pearl. The iridescence comes from the overlapping of the layers, which breaks up the light falling on the surface. Fresh water and salt water pearls look similar but they come from different mollusks. Pearls have been associated with innocence and modesty.
It is also a present for the 3rd & 30th wedding anniversaries.
Alexandrite-
Color: Green to Redish-Purple depending on light
Meaning: Love & Luck
Alexandrite represents positive balance, self-esteem and is a good omen.
Alexandrite is the color changing cousin in the Chrysoberyl family. The Alexandrite Gemstone has the unique characteristic of appearing green in the daylight and redish-purple in artificial light. This phenomenon is called pleochroism. This gem was thought to be quite rare, but recently they have been found in Africa. There does not seem to be any writings about Alexandrite in ancient text. It was unknown until 1830 when it seems to have been discovered on the birthday of Czar Alexander II. The stone was named in his honor.
It is also a present for the 55th wedding anniversary.
Moonstone-
Color: Colorless to White, Gray, Brown, Yellow, Orange, Green, or Pink
Meaning: New beginnings & love
Moonstone brings balance, inner strength and protection
Moonstone comes in a variety of types and colors. The clarity ranges from transparent to translucent and each type has different colors reflected inside the stone. The most sought after moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity and a colorless body color. Moonstones can be beads, but they are most popularly cabochons. Moonstones can be mined in Armenia, Australia, Mexico, Madagascar, Myanmar, Norway, Poland, India, Sri Lanka and the US. The various colors come from India and the other sources yield only white moonstone stones. Ancient people believed the moonstone changed with the phases of the Moon. Today it is Florida’s state stone to commemorate the lunar moon landing; although it is no found in FL.
JULY- RUBY
Color: Red- Pink
Meaning: Vitality
Ruby symbolizes wealth, wisdom, love and passion.
This stone of deep red color is the most precious & rare mined mineral. It is a special form of corundum, the sapphire family. The red color comes from the chromium present in the ruby. Rubies with an insufficient amount of chromium are labelled ‘pink sapphires.’ Rubies draw the highest price per carat of all the colored stones, making it the most expensive and prized stone in the world.
The most valuable rubies are called pigeon-blood, after the dark-red with blue undertones that makes them look eerily like blood. The Burmese ruby has been a favorite for hundreds of years. It has been exported all around the world. Today most rubies are mined in Africa. Rubies have been popular since ancient times, with records showing that the Chinese traded them as early as 200 B.C. The ancient Hindus believed that they are endowed with sacred powers and associated them with royalty and power. Rubies are said to bring will bring harmony to the wearer.
It is also a present for the 15th, 40th, & 80th wedding anniversaries.
AUGUST- PERIDOT OR SPINEL
Peridot-
Color: Lime, Yellowish Green, Olive Green or Medium Dark Green
Meaning: Beauty
Peridot represents power, influence, healing and understanding.
Peridot is a gem-quality olivine & silicate mineral. It is the only gem that come comes in one color, olive-green. The intensity and tint of the green depends on the percentage of iron in the crystal structure. So the shade of the peridot can vary from yellow to brownish and even medium dark tones. It is one of the gems that is never treated for color. Mined around the world some of the most beautiful Peridot comes from Asia and Pakistan. Gem-quality peridot is rare due to its chemical instability on Earth’s surface. As a result peridot is considered to be precious. Peridot are the same color in both natural and artificial light. This ability to give off the same green glow at night led to their association with great beauty, especially in Egyptian culture where they associate it with the sun. Peridot is believed to protect those who wear it from evil.
It is also a present for the 16th wedding anniversary.
Spinel-
Color: Colorless, Pink, Rose, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Brown, Black or violet
Meaning: Hope
Spinel is the magnesium/aluminum member of the larger spinel group of minerals. Spinels and rubies are often found together. Over the last decades they have been found in locations all over the world, but originally they were found in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Myanmar. Its name comes from the Latin word ‘spinella’, which means spine in reference to its pointed crystals. Some spinels are amid the most famous gemstones- like the Black Prince’s Ruby and the “Timur Ruby” in the British Crown Jewels, and the ‘Côte de Bretagne’, previously from the French Crown Jewels. The Samarian Spinel is the largest known spinel in the world, weighing 500 carats. Spinel is perfect to reach for when you’re feeling a lack of energy.
It is also a present for the 22nd wedding anniversary.
SEPTEMBER- SAPPHIRE
Color: Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Orange, or Greenish
Meaning: Truth
Sapphire symbolizes clear thinking, wisdom, prosperity and beauty.
Sapphire is a precious stone and part of the corundum family. They come in a variety of colors (except red which is a ruby) but are typically blue. Because of its hardness, sapphire also has industrial uses, like infrared optical components, watches and circuits. The Apple Watch Series 3 features lab-created sapphire crystal in its screen to make it more scratch-resistant. The cost of natural sapphires varies depending on their color, clarity, size, cut, and quality. Heat treatment is very common and those that are completely untreated are worth far more than those that have been treated. Sapphires are mined all over the world and geographical origin has a major impact on price. Since the Middle Ages many people have given tribute to the sapphire for both medical and spiritual healing properties. It is a popular option for engagement rings since Princess Diana’s proposal ring in 1981. It is said that sapphire is a symbol of loyalty and integrity. It protects the wearer from envy or harm, and gives the wearer useful foresight into the future.
It is also a present for the 5th, 45th & 70th wedding anniversary.
OCTOBER- TOURMALINE OR OPAL
Tourmaline-
Color: Multicolors
Meaning: Healing
Tourmaline represents love and friendship, and is said to render them firm and long-lasting
Tourmaline is a semi-precious stone with the greatest range of colors found in nature. Bi-color and multi-color crystals are common. They can be pink at one end and green at the other; this type is called watermelon tourmaline. Along with the colors comes a range of prices. Because no two tourmalines look alike, they were mistaken for other gems until the 1800’s when they were reclassified as a distinct mineral species. Before that tourmalines had been confused for sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other gems. It is now believed that the rubies in both the Russian & British Crown Jewels are now believed to be red tourmalines, also known as rubellite. The name comes from the word ‘thoramalli’ which is applied to a group of gemstones found in the southern parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Gem and specimen tourmaline are mined chiefly in Brazil and Africa, gemstones come from Sri Lanka and India, but they are also found in several other place around the world. Tourmaline is renowned for its three-sided prisms; no other common mineral has three sides.
It is also a present for the 8th wedding anniversary.
Opal-
Color: From Milky White to Dark Black
Meaning: Desire
Opal imparts hope and harmony
Opals, like tourmalines, can come in a variety of colors. The difference is that opal diffracts light and can display all the colors of the rainbow simultaneously. This is because of their unique make-up of light-bending microscopic silica spheres. There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color, common opal does not. Opal gemstones are truly unique because each individual gem is adorned with a one-of-a-kind color combination of colors. Black opal is considered the rarest and white, grey and green the most common. Most opals are cut into cabochons. An opal’s value ranges from very little to thousands of dollars. The word opal comes from the Greek ‘opallios,’ meaning ‘to see a change of color.’ Australia was originally the world’s producer of opals, but recently data suggests that that now Ethiopia is. Opals have been considered great luck throughout history, because it was thought to possess the value of all gemstones in the opal color spectrum.
It is also a present for the 14th wedding anniversary.
NOVEMBER- TOPAZ OR CITRINE
Topaz-
Color: Yellow, Blue, Pink, Peach, Gold, Green, Red & Brown
Meaning: Joy
Topaz balances emotions, calms passions, releases tension & gives feelings of joy
Topaz is a hard stone that comes in a variety of colors. Because of this it has wide use in jewelry and gemstone carvings. Topaz in its natural state is golden brown to yellow, which sometimes means it gets confused with citrine, the less valuable gemstone. A variety of impurities and treatments may make topaz deep red, pale gray, reddish-orange, pale green, or pink, which is the most rare. They also range from opaque to translucent/transparent. The most sought after topaz is the Imperial topaz. It can be yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. These can be found in Brazil, but topaz are mined all over the world. Topaz has a relatively low refraction index for a gemstone, and so stones with large facets or tables do not sparkle as well as stones cut from higher refractive minerals. The ancient Romans believed that topaz provided protection from danger while traveling. And in Europe in the Middle Ages, topaz was believed to enhance mental powers.
It is also a present for the 23rd wedding anniversary.
Citrine-
Color: Pale Yellow to Golden Orange
Meaning: Happiness & Success
Citrine is believed to bring long life, fidelity and represents optimism & joy
Citrine is part of the quartz family and it is the rarest variety in its natural form. It has become the second most popular quartz, after amethyst, in jewelry. This popularity was due to the lack of affordable gold gems on the market. Citrine comes in a variety of shades from very light yellow to burnt orange color. Some of the most sought-after Citrine gemstones have a clear, radiant yellowish to brownish-red color. The most desired Citrine is the Madeira citrine, a deep burnt orange color rich and full beauty. Brazil is the leading producer of this gem. Citrine is derived from the Latin word ‘citrina’ which means ‘yellow’ and is also the origin of the word ‘citron’. Citrine has also been known as the ‘merchant’s stone’ because it is said to attract prosperity and wealth. This bright shining gem has said to be a gift from the sun. It was once thought that the wearer would become invisible when danger was near.
It is also a present for the 13th wedding anniversary.
DECEMBER- TURQUOISE, BLUE ZIRCON OR TANZANITE
Turquoise-
Color: Sky Blue- Shades of Green
Meaning: Friendship
Turquoise is said to bring good health, fortune and peace
Turquoise is a very unique gem because it is never transparent and it is usually cut into cabochons. They are most commonly found in powder blue, sky blue, blue-green and with or without matrix (black veins). Although they can be found in white and even yellowish green. Turquoise have been highly valued for thousands of years by many cultures and it can be very costly. They were ones of the first stones to be mined and now many sites have been depleted. Navajo people believed turquoise stones were pieces of the sky that had fallen to Earth. It was introduced to the French by Venetian traders who had purchased the stones in modern day Iran (then a part of Turkey). Turquoise was widely traded because deposits are so rare. The only major turquoise deposits currently known are found in Iran, Egypt, Southwestern United States, and China. Turquoise also has the unique distinction of having a color named after it and not vice-versa. Turquoise is also supposed to brings good fortune, good luck, and a happy life.
It is also a present for the 11th wedding anniversary.
Blue Zircon-
Color: Blue, Vivid Blue, Pastel Blue, Sky Blue & Bright Blue
Meaning: Purity
Blue Zircon is said to bring wisdom, honor and riches
The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue and green. Blue zircon is the most popular color and as a blue stone it has a very high refractive index; making it very sparkly. It also has outstanding brilliance, and very strong fire. The blue color is produced by heating brown zircon. But not all brown zircon will turn blue when heated; only some zircon has the right physical structure for this to occur. Most blue zircon comes from sources in Cambodia & Myanmar. Although it’s a reasonably hard gem, Mohs hardness of 7-7.5, it is somewhat brittle and can be sensitive to bumps and pressure. Blue zircon has the tendency to wear along facet edges. In the middle ages, zircon was believed to help the wearer sleep, and to bring prosperity, honor and wisdom.
Tanzanite-
Color: Sapphire Blue, Violet & Burgundy
Meaning: Truth & Wisdom
Tanzanite is known for knowledge and connecting one with the spiritual world
Tanzanite is only found in Tanzania, East Africa, in a very small mining area of about 2 miles wide- meaning it is relativity rare and costly. Its color can appear slightly different when viewed under different lighting conditions. Blues appear more evident when exposed to fluorescent light and violet hues can be seen readily when viewed under incandescent light. In its rough state tanzanite is colored a reddish brown to clear, and it requires heat treatment to remove the brownish ‘veil’ and bring out the blue violet of the stone. The gemstone was given the name ‘tanzanite’ by Tiffany & Co. because they thought its scientific name wasn’t consumer friendly enough. It was introduced to market in 1968. In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose tanzanite as a December birthstone, the first change to their birthstone list since 1912. It is said to be particularly helpful in uniting the mind and heart, teaching one to live from a compassionate heart with an illumined mind.
