birthstone
Americannoun
-
birthstones
plural
noun
Usage
What does birthstone mean? A birthstone is a precious or semiprecious stone associated with a particular month. Some people wear jewelry with the stone that corresponds with the month they were born. Here is a list of the birthstones that have traditionally been associated with each month, along with some of their modern alternatives.
- January: garnet
- February: amethyst
- March: bloodstone (or aquamarine)
- April: diamond
- May: emerald
- June: pearl (or alexandrite or moonstone)
- July: ruby
- August: sardonyx (or peridot or spinel)
- September: sapphire
- October: opal (or tourmaline)
- November: topaz (or citrine)
- December: turquoise or lapis (or blue zircon or blue topaz or tanzanite)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of birthstone
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The singer said she wrote the song about her fiancé, NFL player Travis Kelce, whose birthstone is opal.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
If you’re looking for a gift idea that includes the December birthstone turquoise, you’re in luck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
She sought out a Black female designer to create a bespoke engagement ring, and landed upon Maggi Simpkins, who customized the ring with a ruby, Ms. Hardy’s birthstone, beneath the diamond setting.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2022
Keep up your end of the conversation by sharing notes on your GF’s birthstone, her favorite colors, her personal style, and such.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2013
And I get a gorgeous sterling silver treble clef pendant with my birthstone.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Hansen will carry four Moon-shaped pendants for his wife and three children, engraved with the phrase "Moon and back" and set with their birthstones.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
Those birthstones could also be found hanging around his neck — and even in his mouth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
Williams gave Pruitt information about her family and her relationship to tennis history that he has embedded, such as studding the swirling beads with the birthstones of her siblings.
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2022
In 2019, we're going to take a look at another, even more unusual Indonesian tsunami, get into the geology of birthstones, and cover the basics of basalt.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 5, 2019
"Why don't you girls look for your birthstones?" she said.
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
