SearchBirthstones by month: the birthstone chart, each month's stone, and how it wears
From the counter at TraxNYC, 47th Street.
The short answer
- The birthstones by month: January garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl or alexandrite, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal or tourmaline, November topaz or citrine, December tanzanite or turquoise. Many jewelers give blue topaz to December as well.
- For a ring worn every day, the hardest stones wear best: diamond, then sapphire and ruby.
- Opal, pearl and emerald want a gentler hand, and come off for the gym and the sink.
- Natural or lab-grown: most of our colored-stone titles do not say, so ask before you pay.
Looking for one month's stone? Talk to a personal jeweler: call 212-872-9692 or text us, seven days.
The colors are drawn, not photographed, and every stone comes in more than one shade.
Birthstone chart: the stone, the color and the hardness
Hardness is the scratch scale jewelers use, from 1 to 10, with diamond at the top. The higher the number, the harder the stone is to scratch; how it takes a knock is its own question, below.
| Month | Birthstone | Color | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | deep red | 6.5 to 7.5 |
| February | Amethyst | purple | 7 |
| March | Aquamarine | pale sea blue | 7.5 to 8 |
| April | Diamond | colorless | 10 |
| May | Emerald | green | 7.5 to 8 |
| June | Pearl or alexandrite | cream white; green that turns red under warm light | 2.5 to 4.5; 8.5 |
| July | Ruby | red | 9 |
| August | Peridot | yellow green | 6.5 to 7 |
| September | Sapphire | blue | 9 |
| October | Opal or tourmaline | flashes of color; pink or green | 5.5 to 6.5; 7 to 7.5 |
| November | Topaz or citrine | golden; yellow to orange | 8; 7 |
| December | Tanzanite or turquoise | blue violet; sky blue | 6 to 7; 5 to 6 |
Hardness on the Mohs scale, the general figures for each mineral. Many jewelers also give blue topaz, at 8, to December.
Which birthstones wear best
- Every day, no fuss: diamond, then sapphire and ruby at 9. Sapphire and ruby are one mineral, corundum: ruby is the red, sapphire the blue and every other color.
- Every day, with some care: alexandrite, topaz, aquamarine, tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, garnet and peridot. They wear well; take them off for hard work.
- A gentle hand: emerald is hard enough but brittle, and emeralds are often oiled to hide fine cracks. Opal holds water, pearl and turquoise are soft and porous, and tanzanite can chip. Keep perfume and lotion off them, and skip hot water and ultrasonic cleaners.
Pearl and opal need some humidity, so do not seal them airtight. How to wash a stone-set piece at home is in the stone-set row of our cleaning guide.
The birthstones we set, month by month
September's sapphire has the widest choice in our case: earrings, pendants, rings and tennis bracelets. Ruby comes next, then opal, with its own opal jewelry page, and emerald. Garnet, amethyst, topaz and citrine sit mostly in rings and pendants, pearl mostly in earrings and necklaces; aquamarine, peridot, tourmaline, tanzanite, turquoise and alexandrite are in a few pieces each, so ask us for your month. April's diamond is in most of what we list.
Shop by piece: birthstone rings, birthstone necklaces, birthstone earrings, birthstone bracelets, or all women's birthstone jewelry.
One word on names: emerald cut is a shape. An emerald-cut diamond is a diamond and an emerald-cut ruby is a ruby; for May, the stone on the listing has to read emerald.
Natural or lab-grown?
A stone grown in a lab is the same mineral as one mined from the ground, and only a gem lab tells them apart. Most of our colored-stone titles do not say which; a few say the stone was grown in a lab. If yours has to come out of the ground, ask us before you pay.
From the counter
“The jewelry business is about trust. You will not learn everything there is to know before you buy, so buy from someone who will still be around, and who treats you with dignity. I have seen customers start over with a new jeweler because they picked the one who fooled them best: the one who made them feel good at the counter and bad once they understood what they bought.”
A birthstone as a gift
- Two stones for one month? Pick by how she wears it. Alexandrite, tourmaline or blue topaz for a ring worn every day; pearl, opal or turquoise for a pendant or earrings.
- A mother's piece with one stone for each child is custom work, designed and made at our bench. Start on our custom project page or text the desk.
- A ring needs her size. Borrow one she wears and read it against our ring size chart.
Talk to a personal jeweler
Tell us the month and the piece. We will send you what we have.
Our personal jewelers on 47th Street answer by phone and text, seven days.
Birthstone questions
What are the birthstones by month?
Garnet for January, amethyst for February, aquamarine for March, diamond for April, emerald for May, pearl or alexandrite for June, ruby for July, peridot for August, sapphire for September, opal or tourmaline for October, topaz or citrine for November, and tanzanite or turquoise for December.
Which months have more than one birthstone?
On our list, four: June is pearl or alexandrite, October opal or tourmaline, November topaz or citrine, and December tanzanite or turquoise, with blue topaz given to December by many jewelers too. Longer lists add a few more, such as moonstone for June, spinel for August and zircon for December.
Which birthstone is best for an engagement ring?
After diamond, sapphire and ruby. Both rate 9 on the hardness scale, so they stand up to daily wear. Alexandrite and topaz wear well too; opal, pearl and emerald ask for more care than an everyday ring gets.
Can you wear a birthstone that is not your month?
Yes. The month list is a custom, not a rule. Plenty of people wear a child's or a partner's month, or simply the color they love.
Keep reading
More answers from the counter: all TraxNYC buyer's guides.
See the stones in person
We are at 64 W 47th St, Booth F-1, New York, NY 10036, on 47th Street since 2004. Monday to Friday 11 am to 6 pm ET, Saturday and Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm ET; around a holiday, text first. Text or call 212-872-9692, seven days, or read our showroom page before you come.