Beautiful Alternative Birthstones For Every Month Of The Year

Traditionally, there have been very clear cut birthstones for every month. And this has led to many people being dissatisfied with their, or their children’s, stones. Thankfully though, in recent years… Alternative birthstones have entered the arena, and these provide people with many more options.

So today, we’ll be taking a look at both the traditional and alternative birthstones for each month of the year. To give you a better idea of the gems you can now choose from!

What are birthstones?

Much like each country has a national flower, every month has a designated birthstone that represents it and the people born it. These “birthstones” are usually either precious or semi-precious gemstones; and are often displayed in jewelry pieces as a way to personalize them to the wearer.

Now, it’s also important to note that while each month has certain birthstones that are associated with it… Each zodiac sign also has a corresponding birthstone, that sometimes contradicts the ones that are assigned to the same month.

In this article in particular, we’ll just be focusing on the “month-based birthstones”. But it’s worth noting that you can also find even more alternatives that are still personalized to you by searching for your zodiac sign’s corresponding stone.

Traditional Birthstones By Month + Alternative Birthstones

January –

First off… we have January! Typically, January is associated with garnet. Garnet can come in a variety of colors, but usually it’s a dark red stone. The symbolism behind garnet vary greatly. It’s been referred to as the “symbol of life” by the ancient Egyptians. But it’s also seen to represent things like love, friendship, and even protection.

But a popular alternative birthstone for January is rose quartz. Rose quartz is generally light pink, and somewhat translucent. It’s the stone of love, compassion, calmness, and healing. And it’s often used to promote self love specifically!

February –

Next is February! It’s traditional birthstone is amethyst, which is usually a vibrant purple color. Amethysts are primarily known for bringing about clarity; both by ridding the mind of unwanted thoughts and by heightening intelligence. At one point in history, amethysts were equally as treasured as diamonds.

Note – Jasper is another commonly used birthstone for February, but as it’s more traditional (and simply less popular) I don’t want to present it as an alternative.

Alternatively, those born in February could opt for onyx. In terms of jewelry, this stone is often treated in a way that makes it pitch black and very shiny. And although it has a variety of meanings symbolically, onyx is mainly seen as a gemstone of protection!

March –

March is another month that features two birthstones traditionally, aquamarine and bloodstone. But here’s where things get tricky… Aquamarine is seen as the more traditional option nowadays, but bloodstone has also been associated with March for a very long time despite being considered the modern/alternate option recently. In any case though, you have these two beautiful gemstones to choose from.

Aquamarine is often a light blue color, and is sometimes a bit transparent. Although transparency does tend to vary. It is obviously closely associated with the sea. And it symbolizes transformation, as well as hope and loyalty.

Bloodstone, on the other hand, is a dark green color with iconic red specks within it. It has strong historical connections to religion. And it’s said to grant strength, protection, and courage.

April –

Those born in April are often envied because their traditional birthstone is actually the diamond! I think we all know what diamonds look like, so I’ll just skip straight to the symbolism… Which is purity, strength, and commitment.

April’s alternative birthstones include a few a different options, but the most notable is rock crystal (clear quartz) because it somewhat resembles the traditional birthstone in terms of color. However, there is a slightly different appearance and meaning behind the stone. With rock crystal representing clarity, power, and most of all, balance!

May –

May’s traditional birthstone is an emerald, which is everyone’s favorite green gemstone! And also a stone that carries a lot of different meanings; including rebirth, love, security, good fortune, and fertility.

But one of the most popular alternatives to the emerald is chrysoprase, another green stone. Except this one is more of a green apple color, rather than the deep vibrant green of the emerald. The symbolism that accompanies chrysoprase is somewhat similar to the emerald. Since it’s associated with new beginnings and love; but it’s also known for a connection to nature, joy, and optimism.

June –

Now, when it comes to June, there’s no real need to discuss untraditional alternatives… Because June actually has three traditionally accepted options: pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone. Plus, all three of these gemstones have a very different appearance. So if you were born in June… you lucked out!

Pearls, especially in the context of jewelry, are typically an off-white almost “soft” color. And the symbolism behind them tends to vary depending on things like the color of the pearl and the culture you’re talking about. But some common attributes associated with them are purity, wisdom, femininity, and beauty.

Alexandrite is a stunning, and very unique, gemstone that appears differently in different lighting. In daylight it appears as blue/green, and in incandescent light… it turns into a red/purple. It represents things like transformation and balance.

And finally, we have moonstone. A stone that can range greatly in terms of appearance as well. It can lean more towards the opaque side or be somewhat transparent, and it typically has a white or blue sheen that makes it look like it’s shimmering. It symbolizes things like love, hope, and healing but it’s also linked to intuition!

July –

The traditional birthstone associated with July is the ruby! Rubies are iconic, red gemstones that represent wealth and power (because of their history of being sought after). As well as relate to love and passion because of their vibrant color.

One of the main alternative birthstones for July is onyx, but because we’ve already covered that gemstone… I want to give you yet another option, which is carnelian.

Carnelian is a reddish brown, or oftentimes light orange, variation of quartz. It also tends to be somewhat translucent, especially at the edges. And it is said to evoke creativity, courage, and warmth.

August –

Much like June, August also has three traditionally accepted gemstones to choose from… Peridot, sardonyx, and spinel.

Peridot is typically a transparent yellowish-green color. And for a long time, this was August’s most popular birthstone option! As far as symbolism goes, it’s mostly known for representing strength. Although it’s also related to luck and love.

Sardonyx is August’s oldest associated birthstone, and it’s a reddish-brown color with either black or white bands that give it a randomly striped appearance. Symbolically, this gemstone is related to grounding, courage, and strength.

Lastly, spinel has been added to the mix in modern day. This stone has a lot of range; it varies between opaque and transparent, and it comes in many colors! But one of its most iconic looks is a slightly transparent red, which was used in the olden days as a fake ruby. Its meaning also varies depending on color. For instance, red spinel can signal passion whereas blue represents wisdom.

September –

The traditional birthstone for September is the sapphire, which is another gemstone that can come in a variety of colors. But usually, it’s blue! It represents truth and wealth; but also love and devotion.

And much like spinel was a dupe for rubies throughout history… September’s alternative birthstone, lapis lazuli, was actually commonly used to replace sapphires in the past. Obviously, lapis is a very bright blue color (in most cases) with golden flecks. And it symbolizes wisdom and truth.

October –

October is another month in which we don’t really need alternative birthstones, because it features two completely different looking stones… Opal and tourmaline!

Opals are essentially rainbow stones, and you rarely see two that look alike. They come in different patterns, usually sport some pastel colors with a white or black backdrop, and they can be nearly any level of transparency or opaqueness. These mesmerizing stones represent hope and purity; and are even said to be lucky.

Tourmaline, much like many of the recent gems we’ve been discussing, can come in a variety of colors. But with my eldest daughter, who was born on October, I always opted for hot pink tourmaline. Since that seemed to fit her the best. And you guessed it, symbolism varies depending on the color. In general though, tourmaline represents creativity.

November –

November has two traditional birthstones to choose from, but they can actually look quite similar (depending on the color).

Topaz is commonly seen in the color yellow, although it can come in other colors as well. And it is connected to love, luck, and healing.

Citrine is another quartz variety, like many of the birthstones on this list have been. And it either comes in orange or yellow, although the exact shade and hue can vary. It’s most associated with money; meaning things like abundance, success, and prosperity.

If you’re searching for a different looking gemstone though, a popular alternative for this month is amethyst.

December –

Ending things off with a bang, we have December. Which features a whopping three traditional birthstones!

First off, is tanzanite. Tanzanite is an extremely rare gem, and stands out because it can appear as three different colors at once if you shift your view of it around. Such as blue from the front, but purple or red from the sides. This stone symbolizes peace and clarity of mind.

Secondly, we have zircon. This stone can come in a variety of colors; blue is popular in some areas of the world, many people prefer colorless, and green is quite rare (just to name a few of the options). In terms of symbolism, it means love and prosperity.

Lastly, we have turquoise! As we all know, this stone is a greenish-blue in appearance; often with some dark splotches or patterns on its surface. And it represents things like good luck, health, and protection.

Final Thoughts

All birthstones are beautiful in their own way, but if your traditional birthstone isn’t quite your style, there are plenty of other options to choose from! And I hope this list gave you a good idea of how many alternatives there truly are.

If you’re interested in topics like parenting, running a home, and managing finances… Please consider checking out more of my content! Such as this post on starting meaningful family traditions.