Many Types Of Birthstones

Modern birthstones as the name says, are well relatively new. They were chosen in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers. That said, many are the same as the traditional birthstones from around the 15th century. You get more modern choices with the later list.

Though lists seem to vary, this seems to be the most usual. There are 6 months with the same birthstones:

January Birthstones

Modern - Garnet (Red)
Traditional - Garnet (Red)

February Birthstones

Modern - Amethyst (Purple)
Traditional - Amethyst (Purple)

March Birthstones

Modern - Aquamarine (Blue)
Traditional - Bloodstone (Green with Red)

April Birthstones

Modern - Diamond (White, Clear or fancy yellow)
Traditional - Diamond (White, Clear or fancy yellow)

May Birthstones

Modern - Emerald (Green)
Traditional - Emerald (Green)

June Birthstones

Modern - Pearl (White, Pink or Black)
Traditional - Alexandrite (Red or Green)

July Birthstones

Modern - Ruby (Red)
Traditional - Ruby (Red)

August Birthstones

Modern - Peridot (Olive Green), Jade (Green, Lavendar, or Yellow)
Traditional - Sardonyx (White with Brown stripes)

September Birthstones

Modern - Sapphire (Blue or Pink)
Traditional - Sapphire (Blue or Pink)

October Birthstones

Modern - Opal (White or Black with multicolor sparkles)
Traditional - Tourmaline (Pink or Green)

November Birthstones

Modern - Yellow Topaz (Yellow)
Traditional - Citrine (Yellow)

December Birthstones

Modern - Blue Topaz (Blue), Turquoise (Blue), Tanzanite (Blue)
Traditional - Zircon (White or Clear)

Believe it or not, the Ayurvedic system of medicine actually has as set of recommended birthstones. Though it sounds odd, these are recommended stones from over 1000 years ago that are supposed to help one with the obstacles that come with being born in a particular month.

Ayurvedic Medicine is a type of medicine practiced in India.

Here are those birthstones:

January - Garnet
February - Amethyst
March - Bloodstone
April - Diamond
May - Agate
June - Pearl
July - Ruby
August - Sapphire
September - Moonstone
October - Opal
November - Topaz
December - Ruby

So, what do you do if you don't like *any* of the birthstone choices? If you like astrology, see if you like your Zodiac Birthstone! Zodiac birthstones are quite old but I couldn't find an exact date. I would guess they are about the same age as the Ayurvedic birthstones - but have no proof. Anyways, without further ado, here they are:

Aries (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Bloodstone, Diamond
Taurus(Apr. 20-May 20): Amber, Blood Coral, Emerald, Sapphire, Turquoise
Gemini (May 21-Jun. 20): Agate, Chrysoprase, Pearl
Cancer (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Emerald, Moonstone, Pearl, Ruby
Leo (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Onyx, Sardonyx, Tourmaline
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): Carnelian, Jade, Jasper, Sapphire
Libra (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Peridot
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Aquamarine, Topaz
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Amethyst, Sapphire, Topaz, Turquoise
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Agate, Garnet, Ruby
Aquarius(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Amethyst, Garnet, Moss Agate, Opal
Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): Amethyst, Bloodstone, Rock Crystal, Sapphire

Though this isn't a gemstone, it is birth related so I thought to include it here. The Chinese Zodiac is based on the year you were born. There are 12 animals, so if you like yours, enjoy wearing it. Alternatively you could wear the animal that attracts you most .. just for the fun of it!

Ox - [1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009]

Tiger - [1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010]

Rabbit - [1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011]

Dragon - [1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012]

Snake - [1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013]

Horse - [1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014]

Ram - [1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2115]

Monkey - [1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016]

Rooster - [1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017]

Dog -[1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018]

Pig -[1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019]

Rat - [1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020]

Sometimes animal jewelry just makes you smile!