Birthstones

11 entries

• April Birthstone: Diamond, Unchanged Since the 1912 List Diamond is the one 1912 birthstone assignment none of three later revisions touched, from Golconda and Brazil to a 2025 split in how diamonds get graded.
• Birthstones by Month: The Full Chart, and Where They Disagree All twelve official birthstones in one chart, checked against Jewelers of America, GIA, and the American Gem Society, plus where their current pages disagree.
• December Birthstone: Turquoise, Zircon, and Tanzanite December's three official birthstones are turquoise, blue zircon, and tanzanite, not blue topaz, despite how often retailers market it as one.
• Gemini Birthstone: Pearl and Alexandrite, Not 1913's Agate Pearl and alexandrite are sold as Gemini's birthstones, but that's June's list. The zodiac table those claims trace to actually names agate for Gemini.
• January Birthstone: Garnet, Unchanged Since Before 1912 Garnet has held January's spot on every birthstone list checked, from a centuries-old tradition through 2019, the only month in this series where no source disagrees.
• June Birthstone: Pearl, Moonstone, and a 1952 Latecomer June ties December for the most official birthstones on Jewelers of America's list: pearl and moonstone from 1912, alexandrite added forty years later.
• Libra Birthstone: Sapphire and Opal, Not 1913's Chrysolite Sapphire and opal get marketed as Libra birthstones, borrowed from September and October lists. The 1913 zodiac table names a stone too archaic to pin down.
• March Birthstone: Aquamarine and Bloodstone March's birthstone is aquamarine on Jewelers of America's current chart. GIA and the American Gem Society both also list bloodstone as a second option.
• November Birthstone: Topaz and Citrine, Forty Years Apart Topaz has stood for November since the 1912 trade list; citrine joined forty years later. Most sold under either name isn't quite what it looks like.
• October Birthstone: Opal and Tourmaline October has two official birthstones, opal and tourmaline, and opal's reputation for bad luck traces to one 1829 novel, not to any older superstition.
• September Birthstones: Sapphire, or Two Stones? Sapphire is September's only official birthstone, one of the few never revised since 1912, though the UK trade list still adds a second stone, lapis lazuli.