Birthstones of the World
Your birth month has a gemstone — and a homeland.
June
Alexandrite
"Emerald by day, ruby by night." Discovered in Russia's Urals in the 1830s and named for Tsar Alexander II. Th…
Moonstone
June's dreamy alternate birthstone with floating blue adularescence. Sri Lanka has shipped moonstone for 2000 …
Pearl
June's classic birthstone, the only gem made by a living animal. Persian Gulf natural pearls ruled until Mikim…
August
Spinel
History's great imposter — the "Black Prince's Ruby" in the British Crown Jewels is actually a spinel. Vivid n…
Peridot
August's birthstone, the olive-green "gem of the sun". Egyptian priests mined Zabargad island 3500 years ago; …
October
Tourmaline
October's birthstone and the rainbow gem: watermelon, chrome green, indicolite blue and more in one mineral gr…
Precious Opal
October's play-of-color birthstone. Australia supplies ~95% of world opal: Lightning Ridge black opal, Coober …
December
Tanzanite
Found in one place on Earth: the Merelani Hills at the foot of Kilimanjaro. Discovered in 1967 when a lightnin…
Topaz
An 8-hardness silicate found in pegmatites worldwide. Blue topaz owes its color to irradiation treatment; natu…
Zircon
Earth's oldest gem — Australian zircons date 4.4 billion years. December birthstone famous for high dispersion…
Turquoise
December birthstone and humanity's first traded gem — Egyptian Sinai mines worked by 3000 BC. Iran's Neyshabur…