Top 11 Birthstones
- CJ Tiernan
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By CJ Tiernan
Everybody’s got a birthstone. They are as universal as accidentally bashing your pinky toe into some immobile object whilst absentmindedly navigating the living room. Some months have multiple stones to choose from, so I had to leave more than one on the cutting room floor. Nevertheless, I believe I’ve conjured a pretty rock-solid list 😁. Please enjoy my list of my Top 11 Birthstones.
1. Emerald - May
“Foul!” you may cry, as I’ve opted for my own birthstone in first place. Much like our own brand of flatulence, don’t we all love our own brand? It’s green, which is my favorite color, and not just green but a regal sort of green (the emerald, not the flatulence). In fact, I enjoyed The Wizard of Oz in part because of the fictional city that prominently features the Emerald name. I’m sure masons who prefer working with golden bricks feel the same way.
2. Aquamarine - March
Much like the color that bears its name, the Aquamarine is such a fun shade of blue. It screams tropical waters and island vacation. The word itself is interesting because “aqua” means “water” and “marine” means “of the sea.” It kinda feels like they double-dipped the definition chip.
3. Peridot - August
Question: Is it green? Answer: Yeah, yeah it’s green. Question: Is that why it’s so high on your list? Answer: Yeah, yeah it is. I love the color green and will not apologize for that. Plus, it’s a fun green. It’s a light-colored green that almost looks like it would glow in the dark. That said, I would have zero confidence in my effort, if challenged to pronounce the word "Peridot" out loud.
4. Ruby - July
This is the gemstone I most associate with royalty. Fun fact: rubies and sapphires both hail from the mineral corundum, leading some to refer to rubies as “red sapphires.” I like the ruby more so maybe I’ll start calling sapphires “blue rubies” (Yeah, that’ll show ‘em).
5. Alexandrite - June
Alexandrite possesses a dose of magic within. Depending on the light, it can vary from a reddish purple to a blueish green. The same birthstone swinging that wildly in color? The Alexander after which it was named must have been some kind of two-faced, bipolar monstrosity. But no. While several Russian Czars over the years were acclaimed for inbreeding and mental illness, Alexander II was a man of the people (until his people rose up and killed him. Don’t you hate it when that happens).
6. Sapphire - September
The Sapphire is a deep, rich blue color with lots of sparkle. It falls behind only the diamond in terms of hardness. Measured on the Mohs scale of Hardness from 1 (talc – basically raw talcum powder) to 10 (diamond), the Sapphire is a 9. It measures in at a 9 and is the birthstone for the 9th month of the year. Coincidence? Yep. Completely.
7. Tanzanite - December
Tanzanite straddles the line between blue and purple. It’s only fitting because it’s named for the country of Tanzania, which straddles the line between clouds and sea level. It has both the plains of the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro. If asked to describe Tanzanite in one word, I nominate “Blurple.”
8. Tourmaline - October
Unlike most birthstones, Tourmaline is a choose-your-own adventure stone. It comes in countless colors, including a pink and green one they call “watermelon.” How fun is that? One could craft an entire color palette with Tourmaline. You could even build a crown using only Tourmaline (Tourmaline Crown – dibs on that as my band name!).
9. Moonstone - June
Moonstone: it sounds cool and it looks cool. What more do you need from a gemstone? According to the folklore and mythology of some cultures, the moonstone could give one the ability to see the future (if held in the mouth during a full moon. Yum!). Is that enough? How about some cultures believing the stone was actually trapped beams of moonlight? (History be crazy). Anyway, they shimmer and shine and look divine so they make the list.
10. Sardonyx - August
How does one describe Sardonyx to the uninitiated? They look as though a distant planet, rings and all, has been hardened or frozen in time. Sardonyxes (Sardonyxi?) are colorful zebra rocks, with red, orange, yellow and white as the most common flavors. It also sounds like an evolution for the Pokémon Onix (did you know the Pokémon is spelled with an “I” instead of a “Y”? Crazy, right?).
11. Turquoise - December
This is the second birthstone on my list that doubles as a shade of blue-green. Is there a birthstone called teal? If there is, I’m so there. I love how vibrant this stone is. Plus, the Turquoise has a different style than many others. There is no translucence with this birthstone. It’s just a rock with a crazy fun color.
Final Thoughts
I know I left a bunch off the list that are pretty cool. Such is life, when lived 11 items at a time. As always, I implore you to utilize the comments section to stand up and let your favorites be heard. Below is a list of the birthstones that just missed my Top 11. Thanks! Have a great day!
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