Tap a birth month to see its birthstone on the official US list, its colours and hardness in GIA’s words, and what the traditional, 1912 and UK lists say instead. Or add every birthday in the family and see the stones side by side, for a mother’s ring or a family necklace.
January birthstone
GarnetOn the official US list since 1912.
The other lists
Lists from GIA, the American Gem Society, the International Gem Society and Wikipedia; colours, hardness, care and anniversaries quoted from GIA. Checked 2026-09-25. The swatches are ours.
Quick answer: the birthstones by month on the official US list are garnet (January), amethyst (February), aquamarine or bloodstone (March), diamond (April), emerald (May), pearl, moonstone or alexandrite (June), ruby (July), peridot, spinel or sardonyx (August), sapphire (September), opal or tourmaline (October), topaz or citrine (November) and tanzanite, zircon or turquoise (December).
How to use it
Tap a birth month. You get its stones on the official US list and the year each joined it, a card for each stone with its colours, its hardness and how to wear it (in the words of GIA, the Gemological Institute of America), and what the traditional, 1912 and UK lists say for the same month. Planning a mother’s ring or a family necklace? Switch to A family piece, add each birthday in the order the stones should sit, and see them drawn side by side. The link keeps your answer, so you can send it to a jeweller.
Where the list comes from
In August 1912 the National Association of Jewelers (now Jewelers of America) met in Kansas City and adopted a list, to standardise birthstones. The Jewelry Industry Council of America updated it in 1952: alexandrite for June, citrine for November, zircon in place of December’s lapis lazuli, and March’s two stones swapped. The American Gem Trade Association added tanzanite for December in 2002, and spinel joined August in 2016 (Wikipedia). That current list is the one GIA and the American Gem Society publish. The International Gem Society lists the older stones as “traditional”, and Britain’s National Association of Goldsmiths keeps its own list. It is worth knowing it is a trade custom: one author called the 1912 list “nothing but a piece of unfounded salesmanship.”
Every month on every list
| Month | US list | Traditional | UK list | Mohs hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | Garnet | Garnet | 6.5–7.5 |
| February | Amethyst | Amethyst | Amethyst | 7 |
| March | Aquamarine, Bloodstone | Bloodstone | Aquamarine, Bloodstone | 7.5–8, 6.5–7 |
| April | Diamond | Diamond | Diamond, Rock crystal | 10 |
| May | Emerald | Emerald | Emerald, Chrysoprase | 7.5–8 |
| June | Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite | Pearl | Pearl, Moonstone | 2.5–3, 6–6.5, 8.5 |
| July | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby, Carnelian | 9 |
| August | Peridot, Spinel, Sardonyx | Sardonyx | Peridot, Sardonyx | 6.5–7, 8, 6.5–7 |
| September | Sapphire | Sapphire | Sapphire, Lapis lazuli | 9 |
| October | Opal, Tourmaline | Opal | Opal | 5–6.5, 7–7.5 |
| November | Topaz, Citrine | Topaz | Topaz, Citrine | 8, 7 |
| December | Tanzanite, Zircon, Turquoise | Turquoise, Lapis lazuli | Tanzanite, Turquoise | 6–7, 6–7.5, 5–6 |
Hardness is how well a stone resists scratching, on Mohs’s scale from 1 to 10 (diamond is 10). It is not the whole story: GIA notes that topaz is an 8 “but it has poor toughness”, and that moonstone “may crack when exposed to high heat”.
Two worked examples
A June birthday. Three stones on the US list: pearl and moonstone since 1912, alexandrite since 1952. For a ring worn every day, alexandrite (8.5) is by far the hardiest; pearls (2.5 to 3) are “a comparatively soft gem and require special care”, which suits earrings and necklaces better.
A family piece for January, July and November. Garnet, ruby and topaz side by side. The softest is garnet (6.5 to 7.5), which GIA says is “ideal for earrings, brooches and pendants” rather than every garnet in a daily ring. November could be citrine instead of topaz; the tool uses each month’s first listed stone and names the others.
Common mistakes
- Thinking there is only one list. The US, traditional and UK lists differ for March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Say which one you mean when you order.
- Lapis lazuli for December. It was on the 1912 list and is still on the traditional list (the UK list has it for September), but the US list replaced it with zircon in 1952.
- A pearl or an opal in an everyday ring. They are the softest here (pearl 2.5 to 3, opal 5 to 6.5). A pendant or earrings keep them safe.
- Blue topaz and blue zircon as “natural” colours. GIA: most blue topaz is “the permanent result of treating colorless topaz”, and zircon is “commonly heat treated to produce blue and colorless varieties”.
- Expecting the swatch colour. Most stones come in many colours. The swatches here are ours, one typical colour; GIA’s words list the rest.
More on Needle Style
Emerald engagement ring ideas (May’s stone), diamond studs (April’s), gold jewellery layering, bracelet stacking ideas and antique necklace designs.
FAQ
What are the birthstones by month?
On the official US list: garnet, amethyst, aquamarine or bloodstone, diamond, emerald, pearl or moonstone or alexandrite, ruby, peridot or spinel or sardonyx, sapphire, opal or tourmaline, topaz or citrine, and tanzanite or zircon or turquoise, January to December.
What is the difference between modern and traditional birthstones?
The modern list is the 1912 US list as updated in 1952, 2002 and 2016. The traditional stones are the older ones those updates moved or joined: bloodstone for March, sardonyx for August, opal for October, topaz for November, and turquoise or lapis lazuli for December.
Which months have more than one birthstone?
March, June, August, October, November and December on the US list. June, August and December have three each.
What colour is each birthstone?
Garnet is commonly red, amethyst lilac to deep purple, aquamarine green-blue, emerald green, ruby deep red, peridot yellowish green, sapphire usually blue, citrine yellow to orange, tanzanite blue to bluish purple. Most come in other colours too; each card here quotes GIA’s own list.
Which birthstones are best for an everyday ring?
The hardest: diamond (10), ruby and sapphire (9), alexandrite (8.5), spinel and topaz (8, though topaz chips), and aquamarine and emerald (7.5 to 8). The softest are pearl, opal and turquoise.
What is a mother’s ring?
A ring set with the birthstones of a mother’s children, often with her own. Add each birthday in the family piece mode to see the stones side by side and take the list to a jeweller.
Why is there a birthstone chart at all?
US jewellers standardised one in 1912 so that customers and shops meant the same stones. It is a custom of the trade rather than an ancient rule, and it has been updated three times since: 1952, 2002 and 2016.