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Every month of the year is represented by a gemstone steeped in centuries of lore, meaning, and beauty. From the fiery depths of a ruby to the cool shimmer of aquamarine, birthstones make deeply personal gifts and carry stories worth knowing.
JANUARY
GARNET
Symbol of love, safe travel & protection
The name garnet derives from the Latin granatus, meaning grain or seed. This is a nod to the gemstone's uncanny resemblance to the jewel-bright seeds of a pomegranate. While the deep red garnet is most iconic, the gem family spans a remarkable spectrum: from warm orange hessonite and vivid green tsavorite to color-changing alexandrite-like varieties’
Historically, garnet was a talisman of travelers. Warriors and explorers alike carried it as protection against the unknown, believing it ensured a safe return home. Today, it remains a deeply personal gift, often exchanged between loved ones before long journeys or new chapters.
HARDNESS
6.5–7.5 Mohs
COLORS
Red, Green, Orange, Pink
ANNIVERSARY
2nd Year
FEBRUARY
Amethyst
Symbol of clarity, inner strength & calm
A variety of quartz prized since antiquity, amethyst takes its name from the Greek amethystos, meaning “not intoxicated". This reflects the ancient belief that it protected against excess and clouded judgment. Goblets carved from amethyst were used at Greek and Roman banquets for precisely this reason.
Amethyst ranges from delicate lilac to deep violet, with the most prized gems showing a rich, saturated purple with rose undertones. It has long been associated with royalty and the clergy, a gemstone of wisdom, spiritual clarity, and emotional equilibrium. Today, it's a beloved choice for statement jewelry and a meaningful anniversary gift.
HARDNESS
7 Mohs
COLORS
Lilac to Deep Violet
ANNIVERSARY
6th & 17th Year
MARCH
Aquamarine
Symbol of serenity, clarity & courage
Named from the Latin aqua marina; water of the sea, aquamarine's cool blue-green hues have evoked the ocean since Roman times. Ancient sailors carried it as a talisman, believing it kept waters calm and guaranteed safe passage. Neptune, God of the sea, was said to favor this stone above all others.
A member of the beryl family (alongside emerald), fine aquamarine is prized for its exceptional clarity and even color distribution ranging from a serene sky blue to vivid teal. Its hardness and brilliance make it well-suited to everyday wear. It is the traditional gift for the 19th wedding anniversary and a popular choice for engagement rings seeking something beyond the conventional.
HARDNESS
7.5–8 Mohs
COLORS
Blue Green to Sky Blue
ANNIVERSARY
19th Year
APRIL
Diamond
Symbol of eternal love, strength & clarity
The hardest natural substance on earth, diamond takes its name from the Greek adamas, meaning "unconquerable." Formed deep within the earth under extreme heat and pressure over billions of years, each diamond is genuinely one of a kind. Ancient Hindu texts called it vajra, meaning lightning, for the electric brilliance it throws in light.
At Alson Jewelers, we carry only GIA-certified natural diamonds, each independently graded for cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Whether set in an engagement ring or a pair of stud earrings, a diamond's brilliance is born from precision: it's the quality of the cut above all else that determines how light moves through the diamond.
HARDNESS
10 Mohs
GRADING
GIA Certified
ANNIVERSARY
60th & 75th Year
MAY
Emerald
Symbol of rebirth, wisdom & enduring love
Few gems command a room the way a fine emerald does. Its saturated green caused by trace amounts of chromium and vanadium within the beryl crystal, has been treasured by pharaohs, emperors, and collectors for over four thousand years. Cleopatra was so devoted to emeralds that she claimed ownership of Egypt's mines.
Unlike diamonds, emeralds are celebrated for their characteristic inclusions called jardin, French for garden, which are considered part of a gemstone's identity rather than flaws. The most prized emeralds come from Colombia, Zambia, and Brazil. Emerald is the traditional gift for the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries, a gemstone synonymous with enduring love and deep commitment.
HARDNESS
7.5–8
ORIGIN
Colombia, Zambia, Brazil
ANNIVERSARY
20th & 35th Year
JUNE
Pearl
Symbol of purity, wisdom & new beginnings
Alone among gemstones, pearls are born not from the earth but from living creatures. Pearls are the result of an oyster's response to an irritant, layer by layer, over years. This organic origin gives the pearl a warmth and luminosity called orient that no other gem can replicate. Ancient cultures from Greece to China spun myths around them: tears of the gods, dewdrops swallowed by moonlight, gifts from the sea.
Today, fine pearls, whether Japanese Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, or freshwater are graded on luster, surface quality, shape, and nacre thickness. June babies are fortunate to claim one of jewelry's most versatile and timeless gems. Pearls are a classic wedding-day gift and the traditional choice for the 30th anniversary.
TYPE
Akoya, Tahitian, South Sea
LUSTER
Orient & Nacre
ANNIVERSARY
30th Year
JULY
Ruby
Symbol of passion, vitality & courageous love
Of all colored gemstones, none carries more mystique than the ruby. Named from the Latin ruber for red, ancient Sanskrit texts called it ratnaraj, king of precious stones. Its color, caused by chromium within the corundum crystal, ranges from pinkish red to the most coveted shade: "pigeon's blood", a vivid, saturated crimson with a blue, fluorescent glow, associated with Burmese rubies above all others.
Rubies share their mineral family (corundum) with sapphires, differing only in the element responsible for their color. The finest rubies can command prices exceeding those of equivalent diamonds which reflects their exceptional rarity. The ruby is the traditional gift for the 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries.
HARDNESS
9 Mohs
FINEST ORIGIN
Burma (Myanmar)
ANNIVERSARY
15th & 40th Year
AUGUST
Peridot
Symbol of strength, renewal & positive energy
One of the few gemstones that occurs in only one color, peridot's signature lime-to-olive green is determined entirely by the amount of iron within its olivine crystal structure. Ancient Egyptians called it the "gem of the sun" and mined it on the volcanic island of Zabargad in the Red Sea, the world's oldest known gem source, active for over 3,500 years.
What makes peridot especially remarkable is its extraterrestrial pedigree. Peridot crystals have been found in meteorites, and some of the stones on earth are believed to have formed in the earth's mantle rather than the crust. Today's finest specimens come from Pakistan and Myanmar. A vibrant, spirited stone for a vibrant, spirited month.
HARDNESS
6.5–7 Mohs
FINEST ORIGIN
Pakistan, Myanmar
ANNIVERSARY
16th Year
SEPTEMBER
Blue Sapphire
Symbol of loyalty, truth & nobility
Second only to diamond in hardness, sapphire is one of the most durable gemstones in existence. Durability combined with its extraordinary depth of color, has made it a symbol of royalty and fidelity across cultures for millennia. In medieval Europe, clergy wore sapphires to represent heaven; ancient Persians believed the earth rested on a giant sapphire whose reflection made the sky blue.
While "cornflower blue" Kashmir sapphires remain the world's most coveted, sapphires also occur in virtually every color: yellow, pink, white, and the rare padparadscha, a delicate orange pink. The most celebrated sapphire in recent memory is the 12-carat blue oval that was worn by Princess Diana and is now worn by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. Sapphire is the gift for the 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.
HARDNESS
9 Mohs
FINEST ORIGIN
Kashmir, Burma, Ceylon
ANNIVERSARY
5th & 45th Year
OCTOBER
Opal
Symbol of imagination, creativity & hope
No two opals are alike. The phenomenon that makes this stone so hypnotic is caused by millions of microscopic silica spheres diffracting light into shifting spectral flashes. Depending on the angle and the light source, an opal can seem to contain a wide range of colors; emerald greens, electric blues, fiery reds, and violet shimmers all at once.
Ancient Romans considered the opal the most powerful of all gems for precisely this reason. It seemed to contain the beauty of every other stone within it.
Australia supplies over 90% of the world's precious opals, including the remarkable black opal of Lightning Ridge, which shows play-of-color against a dark body tone. Opal is the traditional gift for the 14th wedding anniversary.
HARDNESS
5.5–6.5 Mohs
FINEST ORIGIN
Lightning Ridge, Australia
ANNIVERSARY
14th Year
NOVEMBER
Citrine
Symbol of optimism, warmth & abundance
Named from the French citrin for lemon, citrine is a yellow-to-amber variety of quartz whose warm, sunlit hues range from a pale champagne to a deep cognac. It rose to prominence during the Romantic era, when goldsmiths prized its ability to complement yellow gold settings, and it became particularly fashionable again in the bold Art Deco jewelry of the 1920s and 1930s.
Often called the "merchant's stone," citrine has long been associated with prosperity and positive energy. It's one of the most affordable of the precious gemstones, which makes it an accessible choice for generous statement pieces. November babies can also claim topaz as an alternate birthstone. Citrine is the traditional gift for the 13th anniversary.
HARDNESS
7 Mohs
COLORS
Pale Yellow to Deep Amber
ANNIVERSARY
13th Year
DECEMBER
Blue Topaz
Symbol of calm, communication & clarity of mind
December claims three birthstones which include, turquoise, tanzanite, and blue topaz. Blue topaz is among the most popular and versatile. Its name traces to the Sanskrit tapas, meaning fire, though it's the gemstone's cool blue tones that define it today. Topaz is the hardest of the silicate minerals and comes in a wide spectrum of colors, with the blue varieties which include, Sky, Swiss Blue, and London Blue. These varieties varying from icy pale to a deep, inky teal.
London Blue Topaz, with its deeply saturated blue tone, has become a favorite among designers seeking a more dramatic alternative to sapphire. Blue topaz pairs beautifully with white gold and platinum settings. It is the traditional gift for the 4th and 19th wedding anniversaries.
HARDNESS
8 Mohs
VARIETIES
Sky, Swiss, London Blue
ANNIVERSARY
4th & 19th Year
