Birthstones

In 1912, in an effort to standardize birthstones, the American National Association of Jewelers, known today as the Jewelers of America, officially adopted a list known as the modern birthstones. It is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other countries as well.

Month	Gem
January	Garnet
February	Amethyst
March	Aquamarine
April	Diamond
May	Emerald
June	Pearl/Moonstone
July	Ruby
August	Peridot
September	Sapphire
October	Opal/Tourmaline
Novermber	Topaz/Citrine
December	Turquoise/Zircon

January

Garnet is a stone of romantic love and passion. It is used in metaphysics to enhance sensuality, sexuality, and intimacy. It is thought to bring positive thoughts, boost energy, and to be excellent for manifestation. Garnet can also assist with success in the one’s career and the building of self-confidence. It is a protective energy stone, which is especially effective for protection from evil, and is used for gentle spiritual healing. Lore says that garnet can heal the blood, heart and lungs.

February

Amethyst has long been called the “sobriety stone,” in ancient Rome it was crushed and added to wine cups to prevent drunkenness. It is said to assist with the healing of alcoholism, compulsive behaviors, and addictions of all kinds. Amethyst enhances stability, peace, calm, balance, courage, and inner strength. It is often used in metaphysics and crystal healing to protect against psychic attacks, and can assist in the opening of communication with angels, telepathy, and other psychic abilities. It is an excellent stone for meditation or dream work, past life work, and to help you see your path. It has also been used to help ease the pain of grief, and promote happiness. Amethyst is reputed to be beneficial when dealing with legal and money issues, and can lead to prosperity and abundance. Amethyst is also used as a protective talisman for travelers. Lore says that amethyst can ease the withdrawal symptoms of addiction, help with headaches, insomnia, arthritis, pain relief, the circulatory and endocrine system, fatigue, immune system deficiencies, and general healing.

March

Aquamarine is metaphysically known as a stone of courage and fortitude. It is said to assist with quick intellectual response, to give peace, and to shield the aura. Aquamarine is reputed to assist with calm communication. Folklore states that it is attuned to the sea, and protects travelers and sailors. It is a universal symbol of youth, hope and health.

April

Diamond is a stone that bonds relationships and enhances love. It brings longevity to relationships, balance, clarity and abundance. It can amplify thoughts, strengths, and weaknesses. It gives one who wears or carries it courage and hope. Discovered about 2,500 years ago in India, they were believed to be splinters from the stars, crystallized lightening, or hardened dewdrops.

May

Emerald is a stone of love and romance. It brings and enhances joy, cleansing, clairvoyance, memory, and faith. It also enhances intuition and communication, and promotes truthfulness. According to legend wearing emerald will not only cure a wide range of ailments, including low I.Q., poor eyesight and infertility, but also enables the wearer to predict the future.

June

Pearl attune the wearer to the ebb and flow of life. They are calming and centering, give purity, promote faith, charity, integrity, truth and loyalty. They help one connect with the Goddess, the ultimate feminine energy. Pearls have been used to treat disorders of the digestive tract and muscular systems, as well as to aid fertility and to ease childbirth. Pearls are also a symbol of a happy marriage.

Moonstone can help calm responses and avoid overreaction, enhances feminine energies, sensitivity, intuition, and psychic abilities. Moonstone is a stone of protection, especially during childbirth, pregnancy, and travel at sea. It is also associated with love of all kinds. Physically it aids the pituitary gland and digestive system, obesity, water retention, hormonal and menstrual problems.

July

Ruby brings integrity, devotion and happiness. It enhances generosity and brings prosperity. Ruby is believed to both bring and increase romantic love. It is a stone that is known to be protective of home, worldly possessions, children, and the psyche. It is a stone of high energy and power that promotes healing on all levels.

August

Peridot is a stone of compassion. It has a friendly energy, is excellent for healing, and assists in rebirth and renewal of all kinds. Peridot is believed to bring abundance and prosperity. It enhances healing and harmony in all relationships, but particularly in marriage. Peridot lessens anger and jealousy, slows aging, heals ulcers, aids digestive problems, assists in the finding of that which is lost, and strengthens intuitive abilities. It is believed that peridot makes a shield of protection around the body of any wearer. Peridot was a favorite of pirates who considered it to be a powerful amulet against all evil, and when set in gold to protect the wearer from the terrors of the night.

September

Sapphire is a stone of creative expression, intuition, and meditation. Sapphire is corundum, and comes in virtually any color of the rainbow including blue, pink, purple, orange (Padparadsha), green, colorless, and red (known as ruby). Sapphire is beneficial for mental clarity and depression. It is believed to be useful in the lowering of fevers and inflammation, aiding hearing problems, cancer, and burns. Ancient priests and sorcerers believed sapphire enabled them to interpret oracles and foretell the future.

October

Opal is a stone of inspiration, enhancing imagination and creativity, relaxing inhibitions, and enhancing memory. Opal is a very spiritual stone and can help one be “invisible” in situations where they don’t care to be noticed. Opal brings happy dreams and eases the process of change. Opal has symbolized hope, innocence, and purity throughout the ages. It is believed to have a beneficial effect on eyesight, to banish evil spirits, and to favor children, the theater, amusements, friendships, and feelings.

Tourmaline increases flexibility, happiness, objectivity, compassion, serenity, tolerance and understanding. It is a stone that is helpful in the process of channeling. Tourmaline is also a stone of protection.

November

Topaz is a powerful stone, a balancing and calming stone. Believed to be useful in the balancing of emotions, releasing of tension, and to bring joy. Topaz is also believed to bring success, good fortune, and synchronicity. It is used for protection and believed to bring strength, to cool tempers, restore sanity, ward off sudden death, and to make its wearer invisible in a time of emergency. It also is said to enhance creativity, individuality, true love, and hope. It brings spiritual love and peace. Topaz aids with gout, blood disorders, hemorrhages, poor appetite, insomnia, tissue regeneration, tuberculosis, asthma, the endocrine system, and reverses aging.

Citrine is known as a “success” stone, it is believed to promote success and abundance, especially in business and commerce. Its lore also says that it enhances mental clarity, confidence, happiness and will power. Citrine is purported to bring good fortune, although sometimes in very unexpected ways. Citrine is a good general protection stone, it alleviates depression and self-doubt, and diminishes irrational mood and enhances mental clarity, aids the digestion and eliminates nightmares that disturb one’s sleep.

December

Turquoise is sacred to both Native American and oriental traditions. It is associated with the sky, and brings the sky energy to earth. It can help promote honest and clear communication from the heart. Turquoise is believed to bring spoils to the warrior, animals to the hunter, and happiness and good fortune to all. It is also said to protect against pollution in the environment, and to bring abundance. Turquoise can also help speed the healing process, and is known as a master healer stone. It is also a very powerful protection stone.

Zircon enables one to be at peace with oneself, and may attract love, wealth, and help one to be open to making new friends. It is believed to heal injuries, soothe pain, bring sleep, stabilize the mind and emotions, and to give wisdom in stressful times.