Twelve months, twelve stones. The list is a tradition, not a prescription — it has been rewritten several times, most recently by a jewellers' trade association in 1912, and again in 1952 and 2002 when stones were added. Nobody found anything out. They just added stones.
We tell you that because the stones are worth wearing on their own terms, and because we would rather you knew where the list came from.
Choose the month you were born — or the month of whoever you are buying for.
Two ways to wear a month
Either the natural stone for that month, set in solid 925 sterling silver and priced as a natural stone — or the Month in Colour necklace at £89, gold-plated solid silver with a baguette in the birthstone colour of the month. That one is cubic zirconia, not a natural gemstone, and we put that here rather than in grey type at the bottom.
Winter
- January — Garnet. Named after the pomegranate. Buried with people long before it had a month. Natural garnet → · The January necklace, £89 →
- February — Amethyst. “Not drunken”. Priced with ruby and emerald until Brazil flooded the market. Natural amethyst → · The February necklace, £89 →
- December — Blue Topaz. A blue that did not exist before 1970. Natural blue topaz → · The December necklace, £89 →
Spring
- March — Aquamarine. We do not carry it yet. Inside, the blue stones we wear instead — and we say so. The blues we wear → · The March necklace, £89 →
- April — Diamond. We set moissanite, found in a meteorite crater in 1893. We always say which is which. Moissanite → · The April necklace, £89 →
- May — Emerald. We do not carry emerald. Inside, the greens we would wear in May instead. The greens we wear → · The May necklace, £89 →
Summer
- June — Moonstone. The blue that moves across it is the stone's internal structure scattering light. Natural moonstone → · The June necklace, £89 →
- July — Ruby. The same mineral as sapphire. A trace of chromium and a naming convention. Star ruby → · The July necklace, £89 →
- August — Peridot. Some of it arrived in meteorites. It only comes in one colour. Natural peridot → · The August necklace, £89 →
Autumn
- September — Sapphire. Second-hardest thing on earth, and it chose the colour of the sky. Natural sapphire → · The September necklace, £89 →
- October — Opal. Not a crystal. Silica spheres with water still trapped between them. Natural opal → · The October necklace, £89 →
- November — Citrine & Topaz. The merchant's stone, and a stone carrying somebody else's name for two thousand years. Natural citrine and topaz → · The November necklace, £89 →
Buying one as a gift
Every piece is made to order in solid 925 sterling silver and takes around ten days. It arrives in a rigid box lined in unbleached linen, and you can have a card written and packed with it at no charge. If you are giving it, the birth month does most of the work for you — you do not have to guess a taste, only a date.
What we will not tell you
We do not make health claims. No stone here treats, prevents or cures anything, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something other than jewellery. What these stones have is history, and quite a lot of it. That is what we write about.
Read the Codex for the longer versions · Or find your Chinese zodiac sign instead