What Does Your Birthstone Really Mean Anyway?
We all know that our birth month comes paired with a precious stone, gem or crystal. Your parents may have even bought you a necklace or a pair of earrings that glimmer with your given gem.
But, aside from functioning as birthday jewelry, what do our birthstones actually mean?
Browse the list below to learn about the properties and powers that your birthstone contains. Even if you've never been a huge fan of your stone, you may just discover a meaning that totally speaks to you.
January
Your Birthstone: Garnet
What it means: Garnet is the perfect stone for the month of January because it symbolizes revitalization, health and order—basically everything we strive to bring into the New Year with our resolutions and goals. Garnet is often used for its protective energy so this is the gem to bring along if you're afraid of flying or taking your new wheels for a spin. In addition to protection, this deep red stone is ideal for manifestation, which means it helps to make your dreams a reality. Essentially, this stone is all about positive vibes and good thoughts.
February
Your Birthstone: Amethyst
What it means: Amethyst isn't just an ideal accessory stone, it can be used for its calming and psychic properties. That's right, this purple quartz is apparently ideal for enhancing intuition and psychic powers such as clairvoyance and telepathy. On a more physical and emotional plane, the amethyst promotes peacefulness and happiness, which aids in healing personal losses and sadness. All in all, this stone will increase your flexibility so that you can accomplish everything from mind-reading to stabilizing your own mind in times of turmoil.
March
Your Birthstone: Aquamarine
What it means: People born in March have good birthstone fortune for two reasons: one, because this stone is arguably one of the most beautiful, and two, because this gem is known as a good luck stone! As its name suggests, it is in harmony with the sea and is said to protect ocean travelers. The key properties of aquamarine are courage and inner peace, meaning that this stone is all about confidence. While it promotes self-love and intellectualism, it wards against anger and fear.
April
Your Birthstone: Diamond
What it means: It's no wonder that the diamond is the most commonly used stone to symbolize love and relationships when it literally and metaphysically represents strength. Made from carbon, diamonds are the strongest stone and can only be cut with other diamonds. From this strength, diamonds are said to have energies of longevity, clarity and success. Along with being all kinds of beautiful, this crystal is packed with good energy. It is said to protect against bad energy, such as danger, and clear negative energy from a space, person, or object. And, of course, it is associated with love. The good energy really gets going when helping to bond relationships and increase harmony between people.
May
Your Birthstone: Emerald
What it means: What better way to celebrate spring than with a fresh, bright green gem to resemble the lush regrowth of the season? This precious stone is said to enhance inspiration through expression and communication, giving it another title as the "Poet's Gemstone." It rivals the diamond as the best stone for love and romance, helping to bring balance to all relationships, including friendships. The emerald is particularly helpful when it comes to dealing with painful pasts. The healing properties help to soothe past wounds and bring happiness into the present and future.
June
Your Birthstone(s): Pearl, alexandrite, moonstone
What it means: Well, June babies, you have the great pleasure of being able to choose between three different stones when selecting birthstone-related jewelry. The pearl is all about calming and centering the self to promote integrity, truth and loyalty. Alexandrite is an incredibly rare gem because of its properties that allow it to change colors. It is often referred to as, "Emerald by day, ruby by night," and is associated with learning, which strengthens imagination and creativity. But, if you find yourself to be a relatively stressed-out person, you may lean towards moonstone. This stone protects against emotional stress by aiding in calm responses which prevent overreactions. Whatever you choose to don, each of these stones will look beautiful on.
July
Your Birthstone: Ruby
What it means: The ruby is the leadership stone and is said to bring adventure to the person who wears it. This bright red sapphire is all about confidence as it promotes courage and strength, which leads to prosperity. Aside from the highly motivated and positive energies of this gem, it is also said to protect against nightmares. With all of the courageous symbolism that the ruby brings, it's no wonder that this deep red represents the brave Gryffindor house of Hogwarts.
August
Your Birthstone(s): Peridot, sardonyx, spinel
What it means: Peridot may be August's most commonly used birthstone, but sardonyx and the newly added spinel give this month a variety of options. Peridot is one of the few gemstones that comes in only one color, a light olive-green. This playful green tone is especially suiting because the gem represents compassion and contains friendly energy. This healing crystal prevents against jealousy and anger in relationships, which makes it a harmonious gem. Sardonyx combines sard and onyx, which gives the stone that layered look. It's commonly associated with happiness and courage. Spinel is often mistaken for ruby or sapphire but is marked by its unique structure. This gem comes in a rainbow of colors, including red, blue, pink, orange, lavender and, well, pretty much any hue. Most prominently, this stone is said to attract wealth and prosperity.
September
Your Birthstone: Sapphire
What it means: Most notably, this gem comes in deep blue, but just like spinel, it can be found in a variety of colors. This stone benefits mental clarity, which helps to bring about hope and communication. Since this stone is said to lessen confusion to see situations clearly, it also aids in anxiety and stress, which often cloud our perceptions of situations. In a phrase, this gem is all about turning that frown upside down and seeing the positivity in any circumstance. To top it off, sapphire is great for intuition and creativity, making it one of the best gems for artists.
October
Your Birthstone(s): Tourmaline, opal
What it means: Tourmaline is basically an all-around good vibes birthstone. It increases hope, happiness, compassion and understanding. It comes in a variety of colors—the word itself means "stone of mixed colors," but the watermelon tourmaline is associated with love. Opal deeply enhances inspiration, which aids creativity and imagination. The stone contains more water than most other stones, so it is thought to be beneficial in easing you into life changes. The water stone helps keep you moving down the path of life's journey despite the obstacles that may stand in your way.
November
Your Birthstone(s): Topaz, citrine
What it means: Balancing emotions and bringing about success are two components of the topaz stone. With this balance, the stone is thought to release tension and promote joy. Of course, these positive energies help to stimulate success and good fortune. Citrine is similar to topaz, not just in color but in property as well. Also thought to aid in good fortunate luck, this crystal is also known as the, "Success Stone." Of course, good karma would never allow an individual to exclusively gain. Citrine is also known to enhance generosity in order to share the success.
December
Your Birthstone(s): Turquoise, tanzanite
What it means: While December babies seemingly have two stones to choose from, both of them come in shades of blue. Turquoise is known as a master healing stone which is thought to speed up the healing process. It also promotes honest communication and relieves stress. Tanzanite is also known as the "Stone of Magic," which aids in psychic workings. Try on this stone if you're in need of a break because it's thought to slow down an individual and promote relaxation.
While birthstones have turned out to be deep in history and meaning, get a crash course on other crystals and their healing powers HERE.