Birthstones by Month: The UK Birthstone Chart and Guide

You are standing at a jewellery counter with a birthday coming up, and the only thing you know is that she was born in August. Peridot, spinel or sardonyx? All three get called the August birthstone, and none of them is wrong.

That is how birthstones by month work in the UK. Most months have a traditional stone plus one or two alternatives, so the chart below lists them all. At  Manna Jewellers in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, we set these stones every day, and our  gemstone jewellery collection is a good place to see how each one looks once it is mounted.

Quick takeaways

• Birthstones by month usually give you one traditional stone and one or two alternatives, so there is rarely a wrong answer.

• The UK birthstone chart differs from the American one in a few months, mainly June, August, October, November and December.

• Pearl, opal and turquoise are soft, so they suit pendants and earrings better than a ring worn every day.

• Sapphire, ruby, diamond and topaz are tough enough for daily wear in a ring.

• You can choose a stone by colour or meaning instead of the month, and many people do.

• Any stone on the chart can be set in 9ct or 18ct gold through our bespoke service.

Birthstones by month: the UK birthstone chart

Where a month shows two stones, either one is correct. Moonstone, spinel, sardonyx, and tanzanite also appear on some lists, and you will see them below. The  GIA birthstone chart lays out the same twelve months if you want a second look.

Where the birthstones by month list came from

The  Jewellers of America birthstone guide says the official American list dates back to 1912, when the trade association now known as Jewellers of America set it. Britain followed in 1937, when the National Association of Goldsmiths published its own list with cheaper alternatives for most months, according to  this history of how birthstones were picked. Nobody had to follow either, and in practice they are trade conventions rather than rules.

Stones have been added since. Tanzanite joined December in 2002, and spinel joined August in 2016, which is why a UK birthstone chart can look longer than the one your grandmother remembers. If two shops give you different answers for the same month, they are probably just reading from different lists.

Birthstones by month at a glance

January to March

January's garnet is the deep wine red most people picture, although it also comes in orange and green. It is traditionally linked with protection and inner strength. Our  garnet birthstone ring guide covers how to choose one.

February is amethyst, a purple that runs from pale lilac to deep grape and is traditionally tied to calm. March is aquamarine, a clear sea blue, with bloodstone as the older option. Aquamarine is hard enough for a daily ring, which not every pale stone can say.

April to June

April's diamond needs little introduction, but it is worth reading up on cut and clarity before you buy, and our  4Cs diamond guide does that. May is emerald, a green long associated with renewal. Emeralds are usually treated with oil, so ask what has been done to the one you are looking at, and read our  May emerald guide before you decide.

June gives you three very different stones. Pearl is soft and creamy, moonstone has a pale glow that shifts as it moves, and alexandrite changes colour in different light. The  June birthstone guide explains which suits which person.

July to September

July is ruby, the red of the list and a stone traditionally linked with passion. Our  ruby birthstone guide goes into what separates a good one from an average one.

August has three: peridot in lime green, spinel in red, pink or blue, and banded sardonyx in brown and red. Our  August birthstone guide sets them side by side. September is sapphire, best known in blue but available in pink and yellow too, and traditionally tied to faithfulness. See the  September sapphire guide.

October to December

October is opal, with tourmaline as the harder alternative. Opal shows flashes of colour as you turn it; tourmaline comes in almost every shade, and the  October birthstone guide helps you pick between them. November brings topaz and citrine, both in warm golds and honey tones. The  November birthstone guide has the details.

December is turquoise, tanzanite or zircon. Turquoise is an opaque sky blue, tanzanite is a violet blue found in one small part of Tanzania, and zircon here means the natural gemstone, not cubic zirconia. People mix those two up all the time.

Expert tip: Before you buy any gemstone, ask whether it is natural, treated or lab-grown, particularly with emerald, opal and tanzanite, where treatment is common. The National Association of Jewellers explains what to ask in its  gemstone buying guide. Bring any stone you already own to our Jewellery Quarter workshop,p and we will tell you what we can see.

Choosing birthstone rings that last

Not every birthstone by month is built for daily wear, and hardness matters more than most buyers expect. Sapphire, ruby, diamond and topaz take daily knocks well. Garnet, amethyst, aquamarine and peridot are fine for rings with a bit of care, and emerald wants a protective setting because it chips more easily than its green glow suggests.

Pearl, opal and turquoise are the soft ones. A pendant or a pair of earrings keeps them away from door handles and kitchen worktops, and our  birthstone pendant necklace guide shows what that looks like. If you want a soft stone in a ring anyway, choose a low, enclosed setting and take it off for washing up.

Buying a ring as a surprise? Our  finger size guide has a printable sizer, and we can resize afterwards through our  jewellery repairs service. For something one-off, such as a mother's ring with each child's stone, our  bespoke jewellery service can design it around your list.

Can you wear a different month's birthstone?

Of course. Plenty of people wear a partner's stone, a child's stone or one they simply like the look of. Others pick by colour, or by the stone's traditional meaning. The birthstone chart is a starting point, not a rule, and birthstones by month work just as well as gifts for someone else.

FAQs

What are the birthstones by month in the UK?

January is garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal, November topaz and December turquoise. Many months also have alternatives, such as moonstone for June and tourmaline for October. The UK birthstone chart above lists every stone with its guide.

Is there an official birthstone chart?

Not in law. The American list dates to 1912 and a British one to 1937, both agreed by jewellery trade bodies. They are conventions, and a few new stones have been added since.

Are UK birthstones by month different from US ones?

Slightly. UK birthstones by month match the American list for most months, but some alternatives differ, and a few months have more than one accepted stone here. If you are shopping from a US website, check which birthstone chart it follows.

Which birthstone is best for an everyday ring?

Sapphire, ruby, diamond and topaz are the toughest on the list, so they cope best with daily wear. Aquamarine and garnet are good choices too. Soft stones like pearl and opal suit pendants and earrings better.

Which birthstone should I choose when my month has more than one?

Pick the one you would enjoy wearing. If you want the classic, go for the traditional stone. If budget or durability matters, an alternative such as tourmaline for October or citrine for November is often more practical.

About Manna Jewellers

Manna Jewellers is a family-run jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, and we've been working since 1977. We hand-finish every ring in our workshop, and our gemstone rings come in 9ct and 18ct gold. If you would like to see birthstones in person,  book an appointment, and we will lay out the birthstones by month for your date and talk through settings.

Related articles

• Birthstone Pendant Necklaces: Meaning and How to Choose Yours: A good route for softer stones like pearl and opal that do not suit a daily ring.

• A Guide to Precious and Semi-Precious Gemstones: Explains where the twelve stones sit in the wider gemstone world.

• Gemstone Rings as Anniversary Gifts: Best Choices by Year: Useful when the stone is for an occasion rather than a birthday.