Every month has a stone and a flower attached to it. Here's the whole list, so you don't have to scroll: 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 flowers run alongside them: carnation in January, violet in February, daffodil in March, daisy in April, lily of the valley in May, rose in June, larkspur in July, gladiolus in August, aster in September, marigold in October, chrysanthemum in November, narcissus in December.
The full chart
| Month | Birthstone | Colour | Birth flower |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Garnet | Deep red | Carnation, snowdrop |
| February | Amethyst | Purple | Violet, primrose |
| March | Aquamarine | Pale blue | Daffodil |
| April | Diamond | Clear white | Daisy, sweet pea |
| May | Emerald | Green | Lily of the valley, hawthorn |
| June | Pearl, alexandrite | Pearl white | Rose, honeysuckle |
| July | Ruby | Red | Larkspur, water lily |
| August | Peridot | Olive green | Gladiolus, poppy |
| September | Sapphire | Deep blue | Aster, morning glory |
| October | Opal, tourmaline | Pink, iridescent | Marigold, cosmos |
| November | Topaz, citrine | Amber yellow | Chrysanthemum |
| December | Turquoise, tanzanite, zircon | Blue | Narcissus, holly |
Why some months have two or three stones
June, October, November and December each carry more than one. It isn't a mistake, and there's no single authority policing the list. Modern birthstone charts largely descend from a list the American National Association of Jewelers settled on in 1912, and countries have quietly amended it since. Britain, America and much of Europe broadly agree; you'll still find charts that swap alexandrite for moonstone in June, or list lapis for December.
For a gift, pick whichever colour suits her. Nobody receiving a December piece has ever objected that it was turquoise rather than tanzanite.
If you don't like your own stone
Fairly common, this. April gets clear white, which reads as plain next to September's blue. August lands on olive green, which not everyone wears happily.
Two easy ways round it. Use someone else's month instead — a child's, a partner's, a parent's. Plenty of the birthstone jewellery we send out is a mother wearing her children's months rather than her own. Or go with the birth flower, which carries the same meaning with none of the colour problem.
Stone or flower?
Stones are bolder and read as jewellery from across a room. Flowers are quieter, engraved rather than set, and tend to suit someone who wears very little else.
If you want the month to be obvious, choose the stone: our Birthstone Initial Necklace (£49.90) pairs her initial with the colour of her month, and the matching Birthstone Initial Bracelet (£39.90) is the gentler option on price.
If she'd rather something subtle, the Horizontal Birth Flower Name Necklace (£59.90) engraves her month's flower alongside her name. The Personalised Birth Flower Bracelet with Birthstone (£49.90) does both at once, which is the sensible answer when you genuinely can't decide.
There's a third option people forget. The Birth Butterfly Name Necklace (£49.90) uses the month's colour on a butterfly rather than a set stone — softer, and it works well as a new mum gift with the baby's name and month.
A word on our stones, since it matters
Ours are coloured crystals cut in each month's traditional shade, not mined gemstones. We say so plainly on every product page. A real sapphire pendant starts in the hundreds; ours is £49.90, and pretending otherwise would be daft.
What you get is the colour, the meaning and a piece that survives daily wear without insurance. For a birthday or a christening gift, that's usually the point. If you're after a genuine stone, a jeweller who deals in certified gems is the right place to go, and we'd rather say that than take the order.
Three months on our pieces follow the alternative rather than the one at the top of this page, so it's worth knowing before you order: June is alexandrite (not pearl), October is tourmaline (not opal) and December is blue topaz (not turquoise). Both versions are correct on the standard charts — these are simply the ones we set.
Same story with the flowers. Most of our pieces use snowdrop, iris, daffodil, daisy, hawthorn, rose, water lily, poppy, morning glory, cosmos, chrysanthemum and holly. The birth flower bracelet with birthstone uses a slightly different set — violet for February, sweetpea for April, lily for May, larkspur for July, marigold for October and poinsettia for December. Each product page lists exactly what you'll get in its dropdown.
What to spend
Birthstone jewellery mostly sits between £35 and £70 in the UK once you're past the high street's cheapest end. Bracelets run a little under necklaces. Anything much below £20 is usually plated brass that loses its colour within a season, which rather defeats the point of a keepsake.
Engraving a name alongside the stone costs nothing extra with us and roughly doubles the chance it gets worn rather than shelved. That's not a sales line; it's what comes back in messages.
FAQ
What are the birthstones by 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.
What are the birth flowers by month?
January carnation, February violet, March daffodil, April daisy, May lily of the valley, June rose, July larkspur, August gladiolus, September aster, October marigold, November chrysanthemum, December narcissus.
Why do some months have more than one birthstone?
The modern list comes from a 1912 jewellers' standard that different countries have amended over the years. June, October, November and December ended up with alternatives. Any of them is correct.
Can you wear a birthstone that isn't your own?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Wearing a child's or partner's month is one of the most common reasons customers buy birthstone jewellery.
Are birthstones in affordable jewellery real gemstones?
Usually not. At high street prices they're nearly always coloured crystals or lab-made stones. Ours are coloured crystals, and we state that on each product page.
What's a good birthstone gift for a new mum?
Her baby's month rather than her own. A name and birth month together — on a butterfly pendant or an initial necklace — is the version that gets worn daily.
Have a look through the full range of personalised jewellery if you want to see the months side by side. Every piece can be engraved with a name or an initial alongside the stone or flower.
