The Zelley Guide to Birthstone Jewellery by Month
Beautiful Birthstone Jewellery is more in demand than ever. As we increasingly seek to give personal significance to our accessories, birthstones offer the perfect way to express individuality and celebrate life’s milestones. With a gemstone uniquely assigned to each month, birthstone jewellery offers a captivating blend of aesthetic beauty and symbolic meaning. From January’s garnet to December’s tanzanite, birthstones hold a special allure. In this guide, we uncover the stories and meaning behind each birthstone and discover the perfect piece for every month of the year.
What are the Birthstones for each month and what do they represent?
- January: Garnet for trust and strength
- February: Amethyst for wisdom and relaxation
- March: Aquamarine for protection and peace
- April: Diamond for love and longevity
- May: Emerald for renewal and patience
- June: Pearl for simplicity and modesty
- July: Ruby for energy and success
- August: Peridot for renewal and hope
- September: Sapphire for self-expression and sincerity
- October: Opal for truth and healing
- November: Topaz for understanding and peace
- December: Tanzanite for good fortune and spiritual wellbeing
January Birthstone Jewellery: Garnet
Renowned for its luxurious deep red hue, garnet takes its name from the mediaeval Latin word granatus meaning ‘pomegranate’. Garnets symbolise friendship, trust, and loyalty. Also, they’re believed to grant strength and protection. Consequently, garnet jewellery is the perfect gift for a friend starting a new journey in life as well as anyone with a January birthday. Garnets are also known to have healing properties such as regulating blood circulation and flushing out toxins.
February Birthstone Jewellery: Amethyst
With its stunning purple hue, Amethyst has been worn for thousands of years. The name “amethyst” comes from the Greek word “amethystos,” meaning “not intoxicated,” reflecting ancient beliefs in its ability to ward off drunkenness and promote clarity of mind. Revered by cultures throughout history, amethyst is associated with qualities such as wisdom, peace, and spiritual protection. As the birthstone for February, amethyst is also associated with St. Valentine, firmly linking it to love and romance. Moreover, it’s also believed to calm the emotions and alleviate stress.
March Birthstone Jewellery: Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the cool blue March birthstone and belongs to the Beryl mineral family. Known for its exceptional clarity, it takes its name from the Latin aqua marinus which means ‘water of the sea’. Indeed, the Romans believed that Poseidon, the God of the Sea, made aquamarine from seawater. Consequently, mariners believed that wearing it would protect them from rough seas.
Aquamarine is believed to bring peace and calmness. In a relationship, it represents trust and harmony, promoting faithfulness and friendship. Moreover, if worn by women, there’s a widely held belief that it can enhance feminine energy and empowerment.
April Birthstone Jewellery: Diamond
Diamond is the birthstone for those lucky enough to have an April birthday. Extraordinarily pure, Diamond is the only gemstone composed of a single element: carbon. Also, it’s the hardest naturally occurring substance on earth. Diamond takes its name from the ancient Greek adamas meaning ‘invincible’.
As a birthstone, diamond is believed to aid longevity, strength, happiness, and beauty. However, as the most popular gemstone for engagement rings, the diamond is of course most strongly linked to love and romance.
May Birthstone Jewellery: Emerald
Emerald, the birthstone for May, is one of the ‘big four’ precious gemstones alongside ruby, sapphire, and diamond. Like aquamarine, emerald is a Beryl gemstone.
First mined in Egypt around 1500 BC, emeralds were considered symbols of fertility and immortality. Also, they were a sign of wealth and power. Cleopatra was famously obsessed with emeralds and gave them as gifts to foreign dignitaries. Similarly, Prince Albert gifted many dazzling emerald pieces to Queen Victoria throughout their marriage.
Emeralds symbolise springtime as well as hope, renewal, wisdom, and patience.
June Birthstone Jewellery: Pearl
The birthstone for June, Pearl represents simplicity, purity, and wisdom.
Myth has it that the first pearls were made when Venus, the Goddess of Love, came out of the sea shaking herself dry. The water droplets that propelled off her body reputedly hardened into pearls and fell back into the sea.
The only gemstone created by a living creature, pearls are created in the shells of oysters, clams, and mussels. When a small grain of rock or sand enters the mollusc’s shell, the foreign item irritates the creature and to protect itself, it coats it in layers of shell material (called nacre). Natural pearls are incredibly rare. In 10,000 oysters, you’d be lucky to find a single natural pearl. Consequently, most of the pearls we see in modern jewellery are cultured. Even so, a single cultured pearl still takes four years to produce.
July Birthstone Jewellery: Ruby
Ruby is the passionate gemstone associated with July birthdays. Derived from the Latin word rebeus meaning red, it’s one of the most impactful (and valuable) gemstones. Measuring 9 on the Moh’s scale of hardness, ruby is the hardest mineral after diamond. Along with sapphires, rubies are a variety of corundum, and their red colour is due to the presence of chromium.
Throughout history, many cultures have considered rubies to be the stone of kings. In ancient mythology, rubies were believed to confer wisdom, wealth, and good health. Also, warriors wore rubies to protect them and give them courage. The colour of blood and fire, ruby symbolises love and devotion. As a birthstone, it also stands for energy, power, and success.
August Birthstone Jewellery: Peridot
Peridot is the summery lime-green birthstone for August.
Also known as the ‘Sun Stone’, peridot is the only famous gemstone in the Olivine group of minerals. Interestingly, Peridot is one of only two gemstones created in the earth’s mantle (the other is diamond). Peridot forms in magma in the upper mantle at 20-55 miles down. Volcanoes propel peridot to the surface or deposit it in magma near enough to the surface for it to be discovered and mined. Peridot has even been found in a variety of meteorite that has found its way to Earth!
As a gemstone with such fiery origins, peridot has come to symbolise regeneration and renewal. Forming at the earth’s core, the belief is that its positive energy can take you back to your core, restoring natural balance and bestowing hope and optimism where previously there may have been negative emotion.
When set in gold, it’s deemed to protect the wearer from nightmares and frees the mind from envious thoughts.
September Birthstone Jewellery: Sapphire
Although Sapphire is commonly thought of as a deep ocean-blue gemstone, September’s birthstone is available in a variety of colours. In fact, any colour, except red (as red corundum is ruby). Sapphire takes its name from the Greek word Sappeiros meaning ‘blue stone’.
Sapphires typically have fewer inclusions than other gemstones and are well-loved for their sheer brilliance and saturation.
As one of the cardinal gemstones, sapphire has a long history surrounded by myth and legend. For example, the ancient Persians believed the earth rested on a sapphire pedestal, whose reflection gave the sky its blue colour. Also, due to its association with heaven, clergy in the Middle Ages wore sapphire for its holy properties.
Sapphire is believed to attract wisdom and protection from above. Thought to symbolise faithfulness and virtue, sapphire is said to instil truth and sincerity in the wearer. Believing that the sapphire would turn darker if worn by an adulterer, warriors presented their wives with sapphire pendants so they would remain faithful.
Linked to the throat chakra, sapphires worn in necklaces can also help to enhance self-expression. Additionally, Sapphire is supposed to be able to tap into the power of the ‘third eye’, making clear what is otherwise too difficult to hear or understand.
October Birthstone Jewellery: Opal
Offering a rainbow palette of colours, Opal is the beautiful birthstone for October. Every opal gemstone is unique as it features a different colour combination. Originating from the Sanskrit term upala, meaning ‘a precious stone’, the ancient Romans called it opalus.
Most opals are mined in Australia. They form when silica, a colourless compound, transfers into underground rock deposits via rainstorms. The rarest opals are black in colour, with white, grey, and green being the most common.
An Aboriginal legend has its own explanation for the creation of opals, which tells the tale of the creator coming to earth on a rainbow to bring the message of peace to all mankind. When his foot touched the ground, the stones were awakened and started sparkling in every colour of the rainbow.
Often compared to galaxies, luminescent opals have long been associated with light, optimism, and prophecy (a belief which can be traced back to the ancient Greeks). As a birthstone, opals are also believed to offer protection, truth, kindness, and healing.
November Birthstone Jewellery: Topaz
Topaz, the birthstone for November, comes in many colours and shades including white and yellow. However, blue is arguably the most popular hue. Blue topaz does not typically occur naturally. In the 1960s a process was discovered that could turn pure colourless topaz into the popular blue colour we see today, through a process of irradiation.
Topaz has long been considered a sacred stone. Hindus believed it brought the wearer wisdom and longevity. Also, both the ancient Greeks and Romans believed topaz could provide strength, intelligence, and healing to its wearer. Furthermore, during the Renaissance, topaz was thought to bring peace and quell anger.
To this day, blue topaz is still thought to promote learning and understanding.
December Birthstone Jewellery: Tanzanite
Of all the birthstones, December’s birthstone, Tanzanite, is the most recent discovery. Discovered close to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 1968, it was named after its country of origin. Often mistaken for sapphire, Tanzanite adopts a purple tinge upon closer inspection with hues ranging from rich blue to deep violet. It also appears to have different tones depending on the light.
Known as the gem of transformation, Tanzanite is known to help attract positive energy leading to prosperity and success. Also, it’s said to impart spiritual awakening and enhance intuition.
Birthstone Jewellery at Zelley
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, commemorating a milestone, or simply looking to express yourself through your jewellery, birthstones offer a meaningful way to infuse everyday moments with beauty and significance. At Zelley, we’re proud to offer a stunning selection of birthstone jewellery, each piece crafted with care and designed to be treasured for a lifetime. Explore our collection and find the perfect piece to celebrate your story and style.
