Month

Birthstones

Info & Ideas

January

Garnet

Dark red with orange undertones. Garnet beads can be formal or informal.

February

Amethyst

Purple shades ranging from pale lilac to deep royal purple.

March

Aquamarine

Clear pale blue/green. Gem-quality aquamarine is expensive. Appearance alternatives are glass and Swarovski® crystal

April

Diamond

Diamonds are a girls best friend but one of the many clear Swarovski® crystals are great substitutes

May

Emerald

Deep green is prized but rare. Try malachite or a great Czech crystal.

June

Pearl, Moonstone

Pearls come in every shape, size and color now - as they are now "farmed" for jewelry! You'll find lots of pearls here. Moonstone is a clear, translucent, silvery reflective stone (difficult to view online) and quality of shimmer varies. All moonstone used by ROSJ artists is of excellent quality.

July

Ruby

Dark red with blue undertones. Darker colors are more expensive. Garnet beads often look like ruby. Gem-quality rarely seen in beads. Try Swarovski® crystals and faceted Czech glass.

August

Peridot

Spring green tones with a touch of yellow. Fresh look found in beads and faceted gems.

September

Sapphire

Sapphire can be yellow, blue, pink and with reflective star. Gem-quality is expensive - look for faceted crystals or cubic zircononia

October

Opal, Tourmaline

Opal is the "fire" stone with flashes of orange, red, blue, yellow. Expensive, soft stone so beads are rarer. Tourmaline can be blue, green and even watermelon pink with green edges.

November

Yellow Topaz, Citrine

Topaz - bright yellows. Citrine - yellows and oranges. Similar looks - citrine less expensive but a great choice for beads.

December

Blue Topaz, Turquoise

Blue Topaz - medium blue. Turquoise - natural stones range from grass green to dark blue-green. Often dyed. Blue Topaz is a clear gemstone. Turquoise is typically enhanced as it is a soft, inconsistently colored  opaque stone.