Birthstones

Some historians believe the idea of the birthstone gem started 4,000 years ago with a breastplate of twelve gemstones worn by Moses’ brother Aaron. Other scholars point to India, theorizing that birthstone gems were born from the ancient Hindu science of gemstone study known as Ratna Pariksha. While the exact origin story is uncertain, we do know that in 1912, the National Association of Jewelers officially standardized the list of birthstone gems in the Western world.

Since then the list of official birthstones continues to be upheld yet modified to embrace both modern and traditional stones. At Aide-mémoire we’ve tailored our list of birthstone gems to include only those that come from ethical suppliers.

January - Raja Garnet (natural)
February - Amethyst (natural)
March - Aquamarine (natural)
April - Diamond (lab-grown)
May - Emerald (lab-grown)
June - Alexandrite (lab-grown)
July - Ruby (lab-grown)
August - Peridot (natural)
September - Sapphire (lab-grown)
October - Pink Tourmaline (natural)
November - Citrine (natural)
December - Blue Topaz (natural-irradiated) or Blue Zircon (natural)

Read Mikko's blog post on birthstones for fun facts.