Birthstone Facts for Kids

A birthstone is a special gemstone that stands for the month or zodiac sign when someone was born. People often wear birthstones as jewelry, like on a pendant necklace.

The Story of Birthstones
- How Western Birthstones Began
  - Modern Birthstone Lists
  - Eastern Birthstone Traditions
Birthstones by Month
Zodiac Birthstones
- Tropical Zodiac Signs
Day of the Week Stones
Gallery
See also

The Story of Birthstones

How Western Birthstones Began

Long ago, a historian named Josephus thought there was a link between the twelve stones on a special chest piece called Aaron's breastplate (from the Book of Exodus), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve zodiac signs. This breastplate was said to represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

Later, in the 700s and 800s, people started connecting specific stones to each of the apostles. The idea was that the apostle's name and good qualities would be linked to the stone. At first, people would collect all twelve stones and wear a different one each month.

The custom of wearing just one birthstone, for your own birth month, is much newer. Some experts say it started in Germany around the 1560s, while others believe it began in Poland in the 1700s.

A copy of the high priest's breastplate in front of a synagogue in Ramat Gan, Israel

Today's lists of birthstones are quite different from those old traditions. Over time, tastes changed, and translations of old texts became confusing. This means modern birthstones don't really connect to the ancient breastplate or the Christian "Foundation Stones." Some even say the modern lists were created just to help sell more jewelry!

Some poems link each month of the Gregorian calendar to a birthstone. These are the traditional stones in English-speaking countries. A famous jewelry company, Tiffany & Co., first printed these poems in 1870.

Modern Birthstone Lists

In 1912, jewelers in America decided to make a standard list of birthstones. This was done by the National Association of Jewelers (now called Jewelers of America).

The list was updated in 1952. They added Alexandrite for June, citrine for November, and pink tourmaline for October. They also changed some stones for December and March. In 2002, tanzanite was added for December. Then, in 2016, spinel became an extra birthstone for August. Britain also made its own standard list in 1937. In 2021, Japan added ten new birthstones!

Eastern Birthstone Traditions

In Eastern culture, there are also special gemstones linked to birth. But instead of months, these stones are connected to celestial bodies like planets, the sun, and the moon.

Astrology is used to figure out which gemstones are best for a person. For example, in Hinduism, there are nine special gemstones called Navaratna (meaning "nine gems"). These are linked to the Navagraha (celestial forces). When a baby is born, an astrological chart is made. Based on where these forces were in the sky, certain stones are suggested to be worn. People believe these stones can help protect them from problems.

Birthstones by Month

Month	15th–20th century	U.S. (1912)	UK (2013)	U.S. (2019)
January	garnet	garnet	garnet	garnet
February	amethyst, hyacinth, pearl	amethyst	amethyst	amethyst
March	bloodstone, jasper	bloodstone, aquamarine	aquamarine, bloodstone	aquamarine, bloodstone
April	diamond, sapphire	diamond	diamond, rock crystal	diamond
May	emerald, agate	emerald	emerald, chrysoprase	emerald
June	cat's eye, turquoise, agate	pearl, moonstone	pearl, moonstone	pearl, moonstone, alexandrite
July	turquoise, onyx	ruby	ruby, carnelian	ruby
August	sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topaz	sardonyx, peridot	peridot, sardonyx	peridot, spinel, sardonyx
September	chrysolite	sapphire	sapphire, lapis lazuli	sapphire
October	opal, aquamarine	opal, tourmaline	opal	opal, tourmaline
November	topaz, pearl	topaz	topaz, citrine	topaz, citrine
December	bloodstone, ruby	turquoise, lapis lazuli	tanzanite, turquoise	turquoise, zircon, tanzanite

Zodiac Birthstones

Tropical Zodiac Signs

Sign	Dates	Stone
Aries	21 March – 19 April	bloodstone
Taurus	20 April – 20 May	sapphire
Gemini	21 May – 20 June	agate
Cancer	21 June – 22 July	emerald
Leo	23 July – 22 August	onyx
Virgo	23 August – 22 September	carnelian
Libra	23 September – 22 October	chrysolite
Scorpio	23 October – 21 November	beryl
Sagittarius	22 November – 21 December	topaz
Capricorn	22 December – 19 January	ruby
Aquarius	20 January – 18 February	garnet
Pisces	19 February – 20 March	amethyst

Day of the Week Stones

While "birthday stone" sometimes means a birthstone, each day of the week also has its own special gemstone. These are different from the monthly birthstones.

Day of the Week	Stone(s)
Sunday	topaz, diamond
Monday	pearl, crystal
Tuesday	ruby, emerald
Wednesday	amethyst, lodestone
Thursday	sapphire, carnelian
Friday	emerald, cat's eye
Saturday	turquoise, diamond