Birthstones by Month: The Complete Guide

Each month of the year is traditionally linked to a particular gemstone — your birthstone. It is one of the oldest ideas in jewellery, and one of the easiest ways to choose a piece for yourself or as a gift when you don't know exactly what someone likes. Here is the full list, and how to actually use it.

Birthstones by month

• January – Garnet: a deep red stone.
• February – Amethyst: violet-purple.
• March – Aquamarine: pale blue-green.
• April – Diamond: clear and brilliant — in our pieces, represented as American Diamond, never a natural diamond.
• May – Emerald: vivid green.
• June – Pearl or Moonstone: traditionally linked to new beginnings.
• July – Ruby: deep red, traditionally linked to passion.
• August – Peridot: yellow-green.
• September – Sapphire: rich blue, traditionally linked to wisdom.
• October – Opal or Tourmaline: multi-hued stones.
• November – Topaz or Citrine: golden tones, traditionally linked to friendship.
• December – Turquoise or Blue Topaz: blue tones.

Tradition, not a promise

These associations come from centuries-old customs across different cultures, and we mention them as tradition and folklore only — never as a claim about what a stone will do for you. Choose a birthstone piece because it appeals to you or the person you're buying for, not for any effect beyond how it looks.

How we represent birthstone colours

Most HighSpark birthstone pieces set the traditional colour of the month in 5A+ American Diamond — top-grade cubic zirconia — rather than the natural gemstone itself. This applies to April in particular: our 'diamond' pieces are American Diamond, never a natural diamond. If you specifically want a natural gemstone piece, that's a separate range — see our natural gemstone jewellery.

How to actually choose one as a gift

The birth-month stone is the right call when you don't know the person's taste well — a colleague, a new in-law, a friend you don't shop for often. It signals thought without needing inside knowledge.

When you do know someone's taste, their actual favourite colour usually beats the 'correct' birthstone — a December-born friend who only wears warm-toned jewellery will get more use from a citrine-toned piece than a turquoise one just because the calendar says so.

Either way, a birthstone piece works well as a gift precisely because it comes with a built-in reason — you are not guessing at what they would like, you are giving them their month.

The setting matters as much as the stone

Every birthstone piece we make is set in 925 sterling silver, finished with R-Coat™, our protective anti-tarnish coating, and is nickel-free, cadmium-free and lead-free — so it is as safe to wear daily as it is meaningful to give.

Browse the full range in our birthstone jewellery collection, or see birthstone styles set in pendants if you're shopping for something to wear every day.

For the settings themselves, silver ring designs for women covers ring designs, and real moonstone explains how to tell a real stone from glass.