Birthstones by Month Table
| Month | Stone | Mohs | Wear note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Garnet | 6.5–7.5 | everyday-ok at the top of its range |
| Feb | Amethyst | 7 | everyday-safe quartz |
| Mar | Aquamarine | 7.5–8 | everyday-safe beryl |
| Apr | Diamond | 10 | hardest natural mineral |
| May | Emerald | 7.5–8 | hard but fragile - internal feathers |
| Jun | Pearl | 2.5–4.5 | delicate; last on, first off |
| Jul | Ruby | 9 | corundum, everyday-safe |
| Aug | Peridot | 6.5–7 | careful wear |
| Sep | Sapphire | 9 | corundum, everyday-safe |
| Oct | Opal | 5.5–6.5 | fears scratches and dry heat |
| Nov | Topaz | 8 | hard but perfect cleavage |
| Dec | Turquoise | 5–6 | porous; keep from chemicals |
The birthstone calendar in use across American jewelry is a standardized list, not folklore drift: the American national association codified it in 1912, and the Gemological Institute of America - the trade's reference body - maintains the current version. The twelve stones run garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, topaz, turquoise, and the table adds the number jewelers read first: Mohs hardness, the scratch-resistance scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond).
Bottom line: June is the table's outlier - pearl is the only birthstone a steel knife blade can scratch (Mohs 2.5-4.5), which is why pearl rings get special care clauses and why the same month also accepts alexandrite and moonstone as alternates. Everything from emerald (7.5-8) up survives daily ring wear; nothing below 7 fully does.
The honest part: hardness is durability's first chapter, not its whole story - emerald sits at 7.5-8 but cleaves along internal feathers, and opal at 5.5-6.5 also fears dryness. The table flags the soft and the fragile so a gift meant for everyday wear gets chosen with both numbers in mind.
How to use
- Pick a month in the selector (or scan the table) to see the stone, its Mohs range, and the one-line meaning attached to it by tradition.
- Check the hardness column before buying for daily wear: 7+ takes everyday knocks; 6 and under belongs in earrings, pendants, and careful wear.
- Cross-check the person, not just the month: the birthday tools below date the weekday, the moon phase, and the Chinese zodiac of the same day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the birthstone for each month?
January garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal, November topaz, December turquoise - the GIA-standard list. Several months carry alternates (June: alexandrite, moonstone; December: tanzanite, zircon), but the twelve above are the canonical set.
Why does December have three or four birthstones?
Turquoise is the 1912 original; tanzanite (discovered 1967) and blue zircon were added later to give buyers price ladders - a $40 zircon, a $400 tanzanite, a $4,000 blue topaz all honor the same month. The GIA table keeps turquoise primary and lists the rest as modern additions.
Is pearl too soft for a ring?
Usually, yes. At Mohs 2.5-4.5 a pearl collects scratches from sand, denim, and even household dust (quartz, Mohs 7, is in ordinary dust). Pearls shine as earrings and strands, and as rings only in occasional-wear settings - which is also why vintage pearl rings show wear first at the girdle.
What does the Mohs number actually tell me?
Scratch resistance, on a relative ordinal scale: each mineral scratches everything below it. Diamond (10) scratches everything; a steel knife (~5.5) scratches opal (5.5-6.5) and pearl but not quartz (7). It does not measure break resistance - that is toughness, a separate property where emerald and opal rank lower than their hardness suggests.