If you have ever tried to work out what your birthstone is, you will probably know that there are two main birthstone lists; the traditional one and the modern one. The traditional birthstone list dates back to 16th Century Poland and includes gems that are historically associated with each month of the year. The modern list was introduced in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers and incorporates gems that were easier to sell and promote on a large scale than their traditional counterparts.
Additions to the modern list have been made as recently as 2016, when spinel was added as a birthstone for August. It is also possible to find alternative birthstone lists based on zodiac sign or the day of the week you were born, rather than calendar month and, if you don’t really like you own birthstone, you could opt for a jewellery design that incorporates one of the birthstonesof someone who means a lot to you, such as your partner or a parent, sibling or child.
Modern Birthstone List:
January — Garnet
February — Amethyst
March — Aquamarine
April — Diamond
May — Emerald
June — Alexandrite
July — Ruby
August — Peridot or Spinel
September — Sapphire
October — Tourmaline
November — Golden Topaz or Citrine
December — Blue Zircon, Blue Topaz, or Tanzanite
Traditional Birthstone List:
January — Garnet
February — Amethyst
March — Bloodstone
April — Diamond
May — Emerald
June — Pearl
July — Ruby
August — Sardonyx
September — Sapphire
October — Opal
November — Topaz
December — Turquoise or Lapis
Zodiac Birthstone List:
Aquarius (20 January – 18 February) - Garnet
Pisces(19 February – 20 March) - Amethyst
Aries(21 March – 19 April) Bloodstone
Taurus (20 April – 20 May) - Sapphire
Gemini (21 May – 20 June) - Agate
Cancer (21 June – 22 July) - Emerald
Leo (23 July – 22 August) - Onyx
Virgo (23 August – 22 September) - Carnelian
Libra (23 September – 22 October) - Chrysolite
Scorpio (23 October – 21 November) - Beryl
Sagittarius (22 November – 21 December) - Topaz
Capricorn (22 December – 19 January) – Ruby
Day of the Week Birthstone List:
Sundaytopaz, diamond
Mondaypearl, crystal
Tuesdayruby, emerald
Wednesdayamethyst, lodestone
Thursdaysapphire, carnelian
Fridayemerald, cat's eye
Saturdayturquoise, diamond
The existence of birthstones, from whichever source you choose to identify them, makes it easier to tell your unique story with the jewellery that you wear. There may be millions of other people who share your birth month, but the rainbow constellation created by the birthstones of your particular family and friends is unique and, if you wear natural gemstones, each of those has its own particular character too.
One of the driving forces behind establishing Wild & Fine was to celebrate the power of charm jewellery to tell a story. Inspired by traditional charm bracelets, handed down from mother to daughter to grand daughter, with each charm representing a different special occasion or trip to a new destination, each W&F charm has its own tale to tell. A jewellery box can contain as many stories as a diary and the ones that the owner knows about are only a chapter or two in each precious piece’s rich history. The power of narrative underpins our brand and, given that birthstones are the starting point for so many jewellery stories, we decided we needed to give them a more prominent place in our collection.
