My brain seems incapable of recalling certain things, and one of them is "What birthstone goes with what month?"

Anyway, such a list might be handy for some of you. Here is my chart of the generally accepted stones for each month...

• January: Garnet (alternates: Jacinth)
  
• February: Amethyst (alternates: Onyx, Moonstone)
  
• March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine (alternates: Jasper)
  
• April: Diamond (alternates: White Sapphire, White Topaz)
  
• May: Emerald (alternates: Agate, Chrysoprase)
  
• June: Moonstone or Pearl (alternates: Agate, Alexandrite, Opal)
  
• July: Ruby (alternates: Carnelian, Sardonyx)
  
• August: Peridot (alternate: Carnelian)
  
• September: Sapphire (alternates: Carnelian, Chrysolite, Lapis)
  
• October: Opal or Tourmaline (alternates: Beryl, Zircon)
  
• November: Topaz or Citrine (alternate: Diamond)
  
• December: Turquoise (alternates: Lapis, Ruby, Tanzanite, Blue Topaz, Zircon)
  

Notes:

1. There is much contradictory info out there as to which stone should be used for some months. Most of the confusion is due to gem marketers, including various associations of jewelers, pushing a certain varieties of stone. In some lists, the "Traditional" gems given are impossible, unless "traditional" is somehow stretched to include gems that weren't even on the market 100 years ago. Examples of this are attempts to claim Alexandrite (hardly seen outside Russia until the early 1900's) and Tanzanite (discovery of which only goes back to the late 1960's) as "traditional" birthstones.
2. Alternate stones which I've listed are those that are frequently cited on lists as acceptible substitutes. The various lists of alternatives have also been changed over the years, with stones being added or dropped (e.g., Ruby for August, Carnelian for May, Quartz for March, etc.). In addition, some nations use their own lists of stones. As someone just pointed out to me, this concept doesn't need to be deadly serious. It is a celebration of someone's birth, and it should be fun.
3. If you wish to keep to the "birthstone" concept, conider sticking with the natural, traditional gemstone(s) for a particular month, and only use a natural alternate gem if the main birthstone is either unaffordable or unavailable. Even for a particular type of gem, you will find varieties in color, cut and/or pattern that will expand your choices (e.g., Garnets are usually thought of as plain dark red, but can also be found in rarer orange, green, yellow, color-change, purple, rose, star, cat's eye, and other varieties).

Other subjects on which I've written Guides...
Gemstones
Coins

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