Birthstone Bracelets to Make as Gifts, Month by Month

A birthstone bracelet is one of the easiest handmade gifts to get right: choose the stone for the recipient's birth month, pair it with a neutral or a complementary bead, and string it on elastic cord in an afternoon. The modern list runs garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, topaz and turquoise, with second and third stones in several months, and each month has its own collection within our birthstone beads. Below is every month's stones, what we carry for it and a bracelet idea, followed by a family bracelet and how to size it.

Birthstones by Month at a Glance

Birthstone Bracelet Ideas, Month by Month

Each month's collection holds the modern birthstones plus the alternatives we stock for that month. The design ideas use stones from our own shelves, and most work at 6 mm or 8 mm on elastic cord.

January: Garnet

Garnet is January's stone on every list. Our January birthstone beads include the classic deep red garnet along with purple garnet, cinnamon orange hessonite and green garnet, so you can match a favorite color instead of defaulting to red. Bracelet idea: 6 mm smooth red garnet with a few matte black onyx beads, or an ombre that runs from hessonite orange into red.

February: Amethyst

Amethyst is the February stone. The February collection covers amethyst from pale lavender to deep purple, banded chevron amethyst (amethyst layered with white quartz) and Super 7, a trade name for amethyst with fine mineral inclusions. Bracelet idea: 8 mm amethyst rounds alternated with rose quartz for a soft purple and pink bracelet, or chevron amethyst with small brass spacers for an everyday look.

March: Aquamarine and Bloodstone

March has 2 stones: aquamarine, the pale blue to sea green beryl, and bloodstone, a dark green chalcedony with small red spots of iron oxide. The March collection carries both, along with deep blue Santa Maria aquamarine, multicolor aquamarine and blends of aquamarine with pink morganite. Bracelet idea: pale aquamarine with white freshwater pearls, or matte bloodstone with gunmetal hematite for a bracelet a man will wear.

April: Diamond

Diamond is April's stone, and diamond beads are out of reach for most bracelet budgets. The April collection offers 2 alternatives instead: sapphire, which shared April with diamond on older traditional lists, and double-pointed clear quartz crystals sold under the trade name Herkimer diamond. They are quartz, not diamond, and clear rock crystal is April's alternative on the British list. Bracelet idea: Herkimer diamond quartz points spaced between small microfaceted multicolor sapphire rondelles.

May: Emerald

Emerald is May's stone. Most of our emerald beads are small, and the May collection has them as microfaceted rounds, rondelles and cubes, alongside apple green Australian chrysoprase, May's alternative on the British list. Bracelet idea: a single strand of 3 mm microfaceted emerald as a fine stacking bracelet, or 8 mm chrysoprase with a few gold-tone spacers for a bolder green.

June: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite

June has 3 stones. Alexandrite, the color-change variety of chrysoberyl, is not in our collection, but the June collection is one of our largest, with pearls in white, champagne and peacock colors and moonstone in rainbow, white, peach, gray and chocolate. Bracelet idea: alternate white freshwater pearls with rainbow moonstone, or pair peach moonstone with champagne pearls for a warmer tone.

July: Ruby

Ruby is July's modern stone. The July collection has microfaceted ruby, ruby and sapphire mixes, and the stones that carry ruby crystals in another mineral: ruby zoisite (ruby in green zoisite) and ruby in hornblende. It also includes turquoise and onyx, which were July's stones on the older traditional lists. Bracelet idea: ruby zoisite rounds with black onyx, or 4 mm microfaceted ruby cubes set between 4 mm onyx for a fine red and black bracelet.

August: Peridot, Spinel and Sardonyx

August has 3 stones, and spinel is the newest, added to the list in 2016. The August collection carries lime to olive peridot, black spinel, pink multicolor spinel and sardonyx in banded red, brown and black. Bracelet idea: peridot rondelles with black spinel for a crisp green and black, or red sardonyx with brass spacers for a warm, earthy bracelet.

September: Sapphire

Sapphire is September's stone, and the September collection shows how many colors it comes in: blue sapphire, plus yellow and multicolor ombre sapphire from Tanzania. It also carries lapis lazuli, September's alternative on the British list. Bracelet idea: 8 mm lapis lazuli with a few microfaceted blue sapphire rounds, or a strand of ombre sapphire rondelles worn on its own.

October: Opal and Tourmaline

The October collection is our largest: Peruvian pink opal, yellow opal, Ethiopian opal, boulder opal and dendritic opal, and tourmaline in pink, green, black and the pink and green watermelon. It also includes opalite, which is a man-made glass rather than opal. Bracelet idea: watermelon tourmaline rondelles with pink opal rounds, or black tourmaline with white dendritic opal for a gift with no pink at all.

November: Topaz and Citrine

November has topaz, the traditional stone, and citrine, added to the list in 1952. The November collection carries citrine from pale lemon to honey, clear (colorless) topaz and a citrine and ametrine mix. Bracelet idea: 8 mm citrine rounds with a few microfaceted clear topaz cubes as bright accents, or citrine with iolite, a pairing from opposite sides of the color wheel.

December: Turquoise, Zircon and Tanzanite

December has 3 stones: turquoise, zircon and tanzanite, the last added in 2002. The December collection carries turquoise, tanzanite in blue to violet and small microfaceted zircon. Do not confuse zircon with cubic zirconia, a lab-grown crystal of zirconium oxide: a different material from natural zircon, though it has a similar sparkle. Bracelet idea: tanzanite rondelles with white freshwater pearls, or turquoise with a few zircon accents.

Making a Family or Mother's Bracelet

A family bracelet carries one birthstone for each child or family member, and the trick is making several different stones read as a set.

• Keep size and shape the same. Emerald, ruby, sapphire, zircon and tanzanite come mostly as small microfaceted beads, so if one of those months is in the family, build the whole bracelet in 3 mm or 4 mm microfaceted beads and every stone will line up.
• Separate the stones with a neutral. Freshwater pearls, clear quartz or small metal spacers between the birthstones let each color stand on its own.
• Use stations for a bolder piece. Group 3 to 5 beads of each birthstone along a strand of 6 mm pearls or clear quartz.
• Go in birth order. Start at the knot or clasp with the oldest child, so the order is easy to explain when the gift is opened.

Sizing and Stringing

Measure the wrist snugly, add about 1/2 inch, and string to that length. A 7 inch bracelet takes about 22 beads at 8 mm, 30 at 6 mm or 44 at 4 mm, so one 15 inch strand of 8 mm beads makes 2 bracelets. Use 0.8 mm elastic for 6 mm to 10 mm beads and doubled 0.5 mm elastic floss for 4 mm beads; our guide to elastic cords has the full chart. Tie a surgeon's knot, add a dab of G-S Hypo Cement, and slide a bead over the knot. For 2 mm and 3 mm beads, beading wire with a clasp is the better choice; see how to choose stringing wire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the birthstones for each month?

January garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine and bloodstone, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl, moonstone and alexandrite, July ruby, August peridot, spinel and sardonyx, September sapphire, October opal and tourmaline, November topaz and citrine, and December turquoise, zircon and tanzanite.

Can a bracelet have more than one birthstone?

Yes. Months with 2 or 3 stones combine naturally, such as aquamarine with bloodstone or peridot with black spinel, and a family bracelet mixes several months on purpose.

What size beads are best for a birthstone bracelet?

6 mm or 8 mm for a bracelet of one stone, and 3 mm or 4 mm when you mix months, since emerald, ruby, sapphire and tanzanite come mostly in small sizes.

Is cubic zirconia a December birthstone?

No. Zircon is the birthstone. Cubic zirconia is a lab-grown zirconium oxide that looks similar and costs less, but it is a different material from natural zircon.

Which birthstones hold up best in an everyday bracelet?

Sapphire and ruby (9 on the Mohs scale) and spinel (8) are the most durable. Topaz is also 8, but it can chip along its cleavage if knocked. Opal, turquoise and pearl are softer, so keep them away from lotions and harder stones; our post on the Mohs hardness scale explains why.

Shop Birthstone Beads

Browse every month in our birthstone bead collection, then finish the bracelet with elastic cord and beading glue. For where the monthly list came from, read The History and Origin of Birthstones.