Birthstone Beads for Jewelry Making
Birthstone beads for every month of the year, both the modern list and the older traditional stones, each on its own page: garnet for January, amethyst for February, aquamarine and bloodstone for March, sapphire and Herkimer quartz for April, emerald and chrysoprase for May, pearl and moonstone for June, ruby, turquoise and onyx for July, peridot, spinel and sardonyx for August, sapphire and lapis lazuli for September, opal and tourmaline for October, topaz and citrine for November, and turquoise, tanzanite and zircon for December. The modern list was set by American jewelers in 1912 and has been added to since, while the traditional stones come from older European lists, so most months have more than one. Pick a month below to see every stone for it in all the sizes, shapes and finishes we cut, for a birthday bracelet, a family necklace with a bead for each person, or a gift that carries a date.
January Birthstone Beads
January birthstone beads: garnet in deep red, orange hessonite and rare green, the stone of the first month on both the modern and the traditional lists.
February Birthstone Beads
February birthstone beads: amethyst from pale lavender to deep purple, with chevron and ombre strands, the stone of the second month on every birthstone list.
March Birthstone Beads
March birthstone beads: aquamarine in pale sea blue, the modern stone of the month, and bloodstone in dark green flecked with red, the traditional one.
April Birthstone Beads
April birthstone beads: clear Herkimer diamond quartz and sapphire, the stones jewelry makers reach for in place of diamond, the modern stone of the fourth month.
May Birthstone Beads
May birthstone beads: emerald, the modern stone of the fifth month, and chrysoprase, the apple green alternative from the older lists, so May is the green month either way.
June Birthstone Beads
June birthstone beads: freshwater pearls in white, peach and peacock and moonstone in white, rainbow, grey and peach, 2 of the 3 modern stones of the sixth month.
July Birthstone Beads
July birthstone beads: ruby, the modern stone of the seventh month, with turquoise and black onyx, the July stones of older European lists.
August Birthstone Beads
August birthstone beads: peridot in olive green, spinel in black and red, and banded sardonyx agate, the 3 stones of the eighth month.
September Birthstone Beads
September birthstone beads: blue sapphire, the modern stone of the ninth month, and lapis lazuli, the deep blue stone of the older lists, so September is blue from either side.
October Birthstone Beads
October birthstone beads: opal in pink, blue, yellow, dendritic and Ethiopian, and tourmaline in black, pink, green and watermelon, the 2 modern stones of the tenth month.
November Birthstone Beads
November birthstone beads: clear topaz and golden citrine, the 2 stones of the eleventh month, one water clear and one the color of honey.
December Birthstone Beads
December birthstone beads: sky blue turquoise and violet blue tanzanite, with zircon, the blue stones of the twelfth month.
