25 Symbolic Gemstones and Their Meanings

25 Symbolic Gemstones and Their Meanings

Every gemstone comes with a story attached. Some are thousands of years old, like the ancient Greek belief that amethyst could keep you from getting drunk. Others are surprisingly recent: the birthstone list most Americans know was only agreed on in 1912, at a jewelers' convention in Kansas City.

We make gemstone jewelry in Jaipur, India, a city that has been cutting and trading colored stones almost since it was founded in 1727. When someone chooses a stone for an engagement ring, a birthday or a gift to themselves, carat weight is rarely the first question. Meaning is.

This guide covers 25 of the most symbolic gemstones in jewelry. For each one you'll find what it represents, where that meaning comes from, its birth month and anniversary, and how well it holds up to daily wear. Further down, you can look up a stone by intention or by color, and read about the 12 stones of the Bible and India's nine-gem Navaratna.

Gemstone Meanings at a Glance

Where Gemstone Meanings Come From?

Most gemstone meanings grow out of five things: a stone's color, its name, the people who traded and wore it, faith traditions and, more recently, the jewelry business itself.

●       Color. Red stones have stood for blood, courage and passion in nearly every culture that wore them. Blue tends to mean sky, sea and truth, while green means spring and renewal.

●       The name. Plenty of meanings hide in the word itself. Amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos, "not intoxicated," and diamond from adamas, "unconquerable."

●       Who wore it. Sailors carried aquamarine and travelers carried garnet. Kings and clergy claimed sapphire and ruby, and those stones still read as noble and serious.

●       Faith traditions. The Bible, Vedic astrology, Chinese philosophy and Native American cultures each gave certain stones a sacred role. Two of these traditions get their own sections below.

●       The jewelry industry. American jewelers standardized the birthstone list in 1912, and "A Diamond Is Forever" was an advertising slogan written in 1947. Some meanings are marketing, and it's worth knowing which ones.

A quick, honest note on "healing powers"

You'll find websites claiming a crystal can lower blood sugar, ease arthritis or cure insomnia. There's no scientific evidence for any of that, and we won't make those claims here.

What is real is the meaning people have attached to these stones for thousands of years. A stone you wear as a reminder of that meaning can matter a great deal.

The 25 Symbolic Gemstones and Their Meanings

Here they are in alphabetical order. Each entry covers what the stone means, where that meaning came from, and a practical tip from the jeweler's bench.

1. Agate: Stability and Protection

Colors: banded, in nearly every shade · Hardness: 6.5–7

Agate is a banded form of chalcedony, a quartz made of crystals too small to see. Its name traces back to the Achates River in Sicily, where the Greek writer Theophrastus noted the stone more than 2,300 years ago.

Few stones have been carved into protective charms for as long. Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made agate seals and amulets, and "eye" agates, with rings that look like a pupil, were worn across the Middle East to turn away the evil eye. Today agate stands for steadiness, balance and quiet courage, which suits anyone going through an uncertain stretch.

Americans have their own soft spot for it. Lake Superior agate is Minnesota's state gemstone, and Montana honors agate alongside sapphire.

2. Alexandrite: Transformation and Good Fortune

Colors: green in daylight, red to purplish red under warm indoor light · Birthstone: June · Anniversary: 12th · Hardness: 8.5

Alexandrite is a rare color-change variety of chrysoberyl, and the effect is genuinely startling the first time you see it. Gem lovers like to call it "an emerald by day, a ruby by night."

As the story goes, it was found in Russia's Ural Mountains in the 1830s and named for the young future Tsar Alexander II. Its red and green matched imperial Russia's military colors, which made it an instant patriotic favorite, and Russians considered it a lucky stone.

Because it changes with its surroundings, alexandrite symbolizes transformation, adaptability and balance. It's a thoughtful gift for a graduation, a career change or anyone stepping into a new chapter.

3. Amethyst: Calm, Clarity and Sobriety

Colors: lilac to deep reddish purple · Birthstone: February · Anniversary: 6th · Hardness: 7

Amethyst has the best origin story on this list. Its name comes from the Greek amethystos, "not intoxicated," and the ancient Greeks believed it could keep the wearer clear-headed while the wine flowed. Legend says some even drank from amethyst cups.

That clear head grew into its modern meaning: calm, clarity, balance and peace of mind. Purple was also the color of royalty, and amethyst was once valued alongside ruby and emerald. It's still the traditional stone of a Catholic bishop's ring, a sign of spiritual devotion.

Prices fell in the 1800s after huge deposits turned up in Brazil, which is good news if you're shopping today. A rich, saturated amethyst costs far less than a sapphire of the same size. South Carolina liked it enough to make it the official state gemstone.

Jeweler's tip: Amethyst is hard enough for daily wear, but some stones fade after long exposure to strong sunlight. Keep it in a jewelry box, not on a sunny windowsill.

4. Aquamarine: Serenity, Courage and Safe Travel

Colors: pale to medium blue, sometimes slightly green · Birthstone: March · Anniversary: 19th · Hardness: 7.5–8

Aquamarine takes its name from the Latin aqua marina, "seawater," and it looks exactly like shallow water on a clear day. It's a blue variety of beryl, which makes it a close cousin of emerald and morganite.

Sailors once carried aquamarine as a charm for calm seas and a safe trip home, and one old legend says it came from mermaids' treasure chests. From that came its lasting meaning: serenity, clear communication and courage in unfamiliar waters. It's a lovely gift for a traveler, a new graduate or someone starting over in a new city.

If you're ever in Washington, D.C., stop by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to see the Dom Pedro. At 10,363 carats, it's the largest cut aquamarine in the world. Colorado, home to the high-altitude gem mines of Mount Antero, made aquamarine its state gem.

5. Citrine: Joy, Abundance and Success

Colors: pale yellow to deep reddish orange · Birthstone: November · Anniversary: 13th · Hardness: 7

Citrine is yellow to orange quartz, named from the French citron, for lemon. Natural citrine is fairly rare. Most of what's sold today started as amethyst and was heated until it turned golden, a stable and widely accepted treatment.

Its warm color earned it a sunny reputation. Citrine is linked with joy, optimism and abundance, and folk tradition calls it the "merchant's stone," once kept in cash boxes to invite prosperity. It makes a cheerful gift for a new business owner or anyone who needs a reminder to look on the bright side.

Citrine joined topaz as a November birthstone when the American list was updated in 1952.

6. Diamond: Enduring Love and Strength

Colors: colorless, plus rare fancy colors · Birthstone: April · Anniversaries: 10th and 60th · Hardness: 10

The word diamond comes from the Greek adamas, "unconquerable," and that sums up its meaning. It's pure carbon, crystallized deep underground under enormous heat and pressure, and it's the hardest natural material on Earth.

The first recorded diamond engagement ring dates to 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy. In the US, the diamond ring became the engagement standard during the 20th century, helped along by a 1947 De Beers slogan from copywriter Frances Gerety: "A Diamond Is Forever." Today the stone stands for enduring love, commitment, strength and clarity.

America has its own diamond story, too. At Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, anyone can dig for diamonds and keep what they find. The 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever found in the United States, came out of that same ground in 1924.

7. Emerald: Rebirth, Love and Wisdom

Colors: bluish green to pure green · Birthstone: May · Anniversaries: 20th and 35th · Hardness: 7.5–8

Emerald is green beryl colored by traces of chromium or vanadium, and its color has signaled spring and new life for thousands of years. Cleopatra was famously devoted to it, and ancient Egypt's emerald mines near the Red Sea later took her name.

Its meanings follow that green: rebirth, fertility, love and loyalty. Ancient writers also credited emerald with sharpening the mind, and some believed that slipping one under the tongue would let you see the future. For a May birthday, a 20th anniversary or the birth of a child, it's hard to beat.

Emerald also has a special place in our city. Jaipur is one of the world's leading centers for cutting emeralds, and stones mined in Colombia, Zambia and Brazil often pass through its workshops. Back in the US, North Carolina named emerald its official state precious stone.

8. Garnet: Protection, Loyalty and Friendship

Colors: usually deep red, also orange, green, pink and purple · Birthstone: January · Anniversary: 2nd · Hardness: 6.5–7.5

Garnet isn't one gem but a family of related minerals. The name comes from the Latin granatum, for pomegranate, and if you set a few small red garnets next to pomegranate seeds, you'll see why.

The pomegranate ties garnet to love and commitment, echoing the Greek myth of Persephone, who ate pomegranate seeds and was bound to return to the underworld every year. Garnet also had a long run as a travelers' stone, worn for protection on the road. Today it symbolizes protection, loyalty, friendship and lasting bonds, which is why it's a favorite second-anniversary and best-friend gift.

The Victorians adored it, especially deep red Bohemian garnets set in tight, glittering clusters. Closer to home, garnet is New York's state gem, and Idaho chose its rare star garnet.

9. Jade: Harmony, Good Fortune and Virtue

Colors: green, lavender, white, black and more · Hardness: 6–7, and exceptionally tough

"Jade" is really two different minerals, nephrite and jadeite. The English name comes from the Spanish piedra de ijada, "stone of the side," because explorers believed it could cure kidney pain.

No culture has loved jade longer than China, where it has been carved for thousands of years. Confucius compared its qualities to human virtues like kindness, wisdom and integrity, and jade remains a symbol of harmony, good fortune, long life and protection. In Mesoamerica, the Olmec, Maya and Aztec peoples prized jadeite above gold.

Jade is also an American state gem twice over: Alaska chose jade, and Wyoming chose nephrite jade.

10. Labradorite: Intuition and Transformation

Colors: gray with flashes of blue, green, gold and orange · Hardness: 6–6.5

Labradorite looks like an ordinary gray stone until you tilt it. Then a sheet of electric blue, green or gold flashes across the surface, an effect gemologists call labradorescence. It's named for Labrador, Canada, where Moravian missionaries came across it around 1770.

An Inuit legend says the northern lights were once trapped in the rocks along that coast. A warrior freed most of them with a blow of his spear, but some stayed locked inside, and that's the glow you see today. No wonder the stone came to mean transformation, intuition, magic and protection.

Despite what some sellers claim, labradorite isn't rare, and that's part of its charm. You can wear a dramatic, one-of-a-kind stone without spending much. Finland's spectrolite, which flashes nearly the full rainbow, is the most sought-after variety.

11. Lapis Lazuli: Truth and Wisdom

Colors: deep blue with gold pyrite flecks and white calcite · Anniversary: 9th on some lists · Hardness: 5–5.5

Lapis lazuli is a rock rather than a single mineral, mostly blue lazurite with glittering flecks of pyrite. Its name pairs the Latin lapis, "stone," with a word rooted in the Persian lazhward, "blue."

It's one of the oldest gems in human use. Miners in Afghanistan's Badakhshan region have dug lapis for more than 6,000 years, and it outlines the eyes and brows of Tutankhamun's golden mask. Renaissance painters ground it into ultramarine, a pigment so costly it was often saved for the Virgin Mary's robes. Scholars also think the "sapphire" mentioned in the Bible was probably lapis.

With that pedigree, lapis symbolizes truth, wisdom, honor and honest communication. It's a classic choice for teachers, writers and anyone who values speaking plainly.

12. Malachite: Transformation and Protection

Colors: light to dark green in swirling bands · Hardness: 3.5–4

Malachite is a copper mineral, and its bold green bands look almost painted. The name likely comes from the Greek malache, "mallow," a plant with leaves of a similar green.

Ancient Egyptians ground malachite into green eye paint, and European folklore says it was hung on children's cradles to keep them safe. Russia's tsars used it on a grand scale: the Malachite Room in St. Petersburg's Winter Palace is lined with it. Today malachite is linked with transformation, protection and emotional growth, a fitting stone for anyone in the middle of big changes.

In the US, the old copper mines around Bisbee, Arizona, produced some of the finest malachite specimens ever found.

13. Moonstone: Intuition and New Beginnings

Colors: colorless to milky white, gray or peach, with a floating blue or white glow · Birthstone: June · Hardness: 6–6.5

Moonstone's soft, floating light comes from thin layers of feldspar that scatter light, an effect called adularescence. Turn the stone and the glow drifts across it like moonlight on water.

The ancient Romans believed moonstone was made of solidified moonlight, and in India it has long been considered sacred. It came back into fashion in the Art Nouveau era, when designers like René Lalique built jewelry around its glow. Today moonstone stands for intuition, new beginnings, emotional balance and safe travel, especially by night.

Here's a fun bit of American trivia: moonstone is Florida's official state gem. It was chosen in 1970 to honor the moon landings launched from Florida, even though moonstone isn't found naturally in the state.

14. Morganite: Compassion and Tender Love

Colors: soft pink to peach · Anniversary: 9th · Hardness: 7.5–8

Morganite is pink beryl, a sister to emerald and aquamarine, and it has a distinctly American backstory. It was identified in Madagascar in 1910 and named the next year by George F. Kunz, Tiffany & Co.'s famous gem expert, in honor of banker and gem collector J.P. Morgan.

Because it's a newer gem, its meaning is modern rather than ancient. Its gentle blush has made it a symbol of compassion, tenderness, emotional healing and unconditional love. Since the 2010s it has been a popular engagement stone for couples who want something softer than a diamond.

15. Onyx: Strength and Self-Control

Colors: black, or black and white in straight bands · Anniversary: 7th on some lists · Hardness: 6.5–7

Onyx is chalcedony with straight, parallel bands. A Greek myth explains the name: Eros clipped Aphrodite's fingernails while she slept, and the Fates turned the clippings to stone. Onyx is Greek for "fingernail" or "claw."

Carvers have used its contrasting layers for cameos and seals for more than 2,000 years. Black onyx came to stand for strength, self-control, protection and staying steady under pressure. That no-nonsense character is why it turns up so often in men's signet rings and cufflinks. Its red-and-white banded cousin, sardonyx, is one of August's birthstones.

16. Opal: Hope, Creativity and Faithfulness

Colors: white, black, crystal or orange body with shifting flashes of color · Birthstone: October · Anniversary: 14th · Hardness: 5.5–6.5

Opal is built from tiny silica spheres stacked like oranges in a crate. As light passes between them it splits into flashes of color, so no two opals ever show the same pattern. Most of the world's precious opal comes from Australia.

The Romans treasured opal as a symbol of hope and love. According to the historian Pliny, a senator named Nonius chose exile rather than hand his opal over to Mark Antony. Today opal stands for hope, creativity, imagination and faithfulness, and its name may trace back to the Sanskrit upala, "precious stone."

So where did its bad-luck reputation come from? Largely from an 1829 novel, Sir Walter Scott's Anne of Geierstein, in which an enchanted opal seems tied to a character's fate. Queen Victoria, who loved opals and gave them as gifts, helped restore their good name. In Nevada, Virgin Valley black fire opal is an official state gemstone.

17. Pearl: Purity, Wisdom and Loyalty

Colors: white, cream, pink, gold, gray and black · Birthstone: June · Anniversaries: 3rd and 30th · Hardness: 2.5–4.5

Pearls are the only gems on this list made by a living animal. A mollusk coats an irritant in layer after layer of nacre until a pearl forms. Despite the popular story, that irritant is rarely a grain of sand; it's usually a parasite or a scrap of tissue.

Natural pearls were once so rare that they outranked diamonds. In 1917, Pierre Cartier acquired his Fifth Avenue mansion in New York by trading a double strand of natural pearls, plus $100 in cash. Cultured pearls, pioneered in Japan by Kokichi Mikimoto in the 1890s, changed that over the following decades, and nearly every pearl sold today is cultured.

Pearls symbolize purity, wisdom gained through experience, loyalty and calm, which is why they're a classic gift for brides and new mothers. Kentucky named the freshwater pearl its state gem, and Tennessee honors its river pearls.

18. Peridot: Prosperity, Renewal and Protection

Colors: yellowish green to olive · Birthstone: August · Anniversary: 16th · Hardness: 6.5–7

Peridot is gem-quality olivine, and it only comes in green, from bright lime to deep olive. It forms deep in the Earth's mantle and reaches the surface through volcanic activity. A few peridot crystals have even arrived from space inside meteorites.

The ancient Egyptians mined it on a Red Sea island called Zabargad and called it the "gem of the sun." Some historians believe a few of Cleopatra's famous "emeralds" were actually peridot. Its sunny green made it a symbol of prosperity, renewal and good fortune, and old folklore said peridot set in gold would keep nightmares away.

Arizona is one of the world's major peridot sources, with much of it mined on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. In Hawaii, olivine crystals give Papakōlea Beach its famous green sand.

19. Rose Quartz: Unconditional Love and Self-Love

Colors: pale to medium pink, usually slightly cloudy · Hardness: 7

Rose quartz gets its soft color from microscopic fibers of a mineral related to dumortierite, which also give it that dreamy, slightly hazy look. It's rarely transparent, so you'll usually find it as beads, smooth cabochons and carvings.

Modern crystal lore ties rose quartz to Aphrodite and calls it the stone of the heart. Whatever you make of the legends, it has become the go-to symbol of unconditional love, self-love, compassion and emotional healing. It's a gentle gift after a breakup, a loss or a hard year, and a sweet way of saying "be kind to yourself."

South Dakota made rose quartz its official state mineral, and the Black Hills have produced it for generations.

20. Ruby: Passion, Courage and Vitality

Colors: pinkish red to deep "pigeon's blood" red · Birthstone: July · Anniversaries: 15th and 40th · Hardness: 9

Ruby is red corundum colored by chromium, and its name comes from the Latin ruber, "red." In Sanskrit it was called ratnaraj, "king of precious stones," and in India's nine-gem Navaratna it sits at the center, representing the Sun.

Few gems carry as much fire, in color or in legend. Burmese warriors once set rubies under their skin, believing it made them invincible in battle. Across cultures ruby has stood for passion, love, courage, vitality and power, and it was long thought to protect its owner from harm. It's the classic 15th and 40th anniversary stone for good reason.

The most coveted rubies come from Myanmar's Mogok Valley, where the finest shade is poetically called "pigeon's blood." Fine untreated rubies over a few carats are so rare that they can sell for more per carat than diamonds.

21. Sapphire: Wisdom, Loyalty and Truth

Colors: blue, plus pink, yellow, orange, purple, green, white and more · Birthstone: September · Anniversaries: 5th and 45th · Hardness: 9

Sapphire is corundum, the same mineral as ruby. Red corundum is ruby; every other color is sapphire. Blue is the classic, but pink, yellow and the rare orange-pink padparadscha all have devoted fans.

For centuries sapphire belonged to kings and clergy. Medieval royals wore it for protection, and church leaders wore it as a sign of heaven. Its deep blue came to symbolize wisdom, loyalty, truth and faithfulness. Princess Diana's 12-carat Ceylon sapphire engagement ring, now worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, made it a modern engagement favorite.

In Vedic tradition, blue sapphire (neelam) represents Saturn and yellow sapphire (pukhraj) represents Jupiter. Montana is America's sapphire state. Its Yogo Gulch sapphires come out of the ground a natural cornflower blue with no heating needed, and sapphire shares the title of Montana state gem with agate.

22. Tanzanite: Insight and Transformation

Colors: violet-blue to blue-violet · Birthstone: December · Anniversary: 24th · Hardness: 6–7

Tanzanite is a blue-violet variety of the mineral zoisite, and it's mined in just one small area on Earth: the Merelani Hills near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was discovered in 1967. A year later, Tiffany & Co. named it and introduced it to the world.

With no ancient lore to draw on, tanzanite's meaning comes from its look and its story. Its color shifts between blue and violet as you turn it, so it has come to symbolize transformation, insight, intuition and seeing things from a new angle. Its single-source rarity adds a sense of once-in-a-generation discovery.

In 2002 it became the first gem added to the American birthstone list since 1952, joining turquoise and zircon for December.

23. Topaz: Love, Strength and Success

Colors: colorless, blue, golden yellow, orange, pink and red · Birthstone: November · Anniversaries: 4th (blue topaz) and 23rd (imperial topaz) · Hardness: 8

Topaz comes in more colors than most people realize. Natural topaz is often colorless or pale, and nearly all the bright blue topaz you see in stores began as colorless topaz that was irradiated and heated, a permanent treatment. The rarest and most valuable shades are the warm orange-pinks known as "imperial topaz."

The name may come from Topazios, an old name for an island in the Red Sea, although the green gems found there were probably peridot. Another theory points to the Sanskrit tapas, "fire." The ancient Greeks believed topaz gave strength, and Renaissance Europeans thought it could break spells and cool anger. Today it symbolizes love, affection, strength and success.

Two states claim it. Texas named blue topaz its state gem and even has an official "Lone Star cut," while Utah's state gem is topaz, found at Topaz Mountain in the Thomas Range.

24. Tourmaline: Compassion, Balance and Confidence

Colors: every color, often two or three in one crystal · Birthstone: October · Anniversary: 8th · Hardness: 7–7.5

No gem comes in more colors than tourmaline. A single crystal can shift from pink to green, a look called "watermelon," and the copper-rich neon blues from Brazil's Paraíba state are among the most valuable colored stones found in recent decades. The name comes from the Sinhalese turmali, a word used in Sri Lanka for mixed-color gem gravels.

Dutch traders noticed that warmed tourmaline crystals pull in ash and dust, so they used them to clean their pipes. That quirky electric charge, plus its rainbow range, shaped tourmaline's modern meaning: balance, compassion, confidence and emotional strength. Black tourmaline in particular is worn as a protective stone.

Tourmaline also has deep American roots. Its discovery at Maine's Mount Mica in 1820 is considered the first major gem find in the US, and it's Maine's state mineral. In the early 1900s, China's Empress Dowager Cixi loved pink tourmaline so much that she bought huge quantities of it from mines in San Diego County, California.

25. Turquoise: Protection, Friendship and Good Fortune

Colors: sky blue to green, often with dark veins of matrix · Birthstone: December · Anniversary: 11th · Hardness: 5–6

Turquoise is one of the oldest gems people have worn. It was mined in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula more than 5,000 years ago and treasured across Persia, Tibet and China. Its name comes from the French pierre turquoise, "Turkish stone," because it reached Europe along Turkish trade routes.

Nearly every culture that wore turquoise saw it as protective. Riders were said to hang it on their horses' bridles to prevent falls, and folk belief held that it changed color to warn of danger. In the American Southwest, turquoise is sacred to the Navajo, Zuni and Pueblo peoples, a stone tied to sky, water and well-being. More than a thousand years ago, Ancestral Puebloans at Chaco Canyon were working it into ornaments by the tens of thousands of pieces.

Today turquoise symbolizes protection, friendship, good fortune and peace. It's no surprise that Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico all claim it as an official state gem.

More Symbolic Stones Worth Knowing

●       Bloodstone: Dark green chalcedony with red spots, and an alternate March birthstone. A medieval Christian legend says it formed when drops of Christ's blood fell on green jasper at the crucifixion, and it stands for courage and vitality.

●       Sardonyx: Banded red-and-white onyx and one of August's birthstones. Roman soldiers wore sardonyx carved with Mars, the god of war, for courage, and it's linked with strength and happy marriages.

●       Spinel: Added as an August birthstone in 2016. For centuries spinel was mistaken for ruby, and the famous "Black Prince's Ruby" in Britain's Imperial State Crown is actually a red spinel. It symbolizes energy and renewal.

●       Zircon: A December birthstone, and not the same thing as cubic zirconia, which is a lab-made imitation. Some zircon crystals are about 4.4 billion years old, among the oldest minerals on Earth, and the stone is linked with wisdom and prosperity.

●       Sunstone: A glittering orange feldspar associated with optimism and leadership. Oregon sunstone, colored by copper, is Oregon's state gemstone.

●       Carnelian: Orange-red chalcedony that ancient Egyptians carved into amulets and placed in tombs. It stands for courage, motivation and creative energy.

●       Tiger's eye: Golden-brown quartz with a rippling band of light, linked with focus, confidence and good judgment. It's a favorite in men's bead bracelets.

●       Ametrine: Amethyst and citrine in a single crystal, almost all of it from Bolivia's Anahí mine. It symbolizes balance between calm and energy.

Find a Gemstone by What You Want It to Mean

Choosing by meaning is often easier than choosing by stone. Start with the feeling you want to give or keep, then pick the stone whose color and price you like best.

What Gemstone Colors Mean

Color is usually the first clue to a stone's meaning. Here's how the main color families are commonly read in Western jewelry tradition, with the stones from this guide that fit each one.

Birthstones by Month (and Where the List Came From)

The birthstone list most American jewelers use today covers 12 months with 21 stones. Here it is, with a quick reminder of what each month's stones stand for.

The idea behind birthstones is ancient. The first-century historian Josephus linked the 12 stones on the breastplate of Aaron, Israel's high priest, to the 12 months and the 12 signs of the zodiac. Wearing one stone for your own birth month is much newer, and historians trace the custom to Germany in the 1500s or Poland in the 1700s.

The American list itself was written by jewelers, and it has changed a few times since:

The 12 Gemstones of the Bible

The Bible describes two sets of 12 stones. The first decorated the breastplate of Aaron, the high priest, in Exodus 28:17–20, with each stone engraved with the name of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The second forms the foundations of the walls of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:19–20.

The Navaratna: Nine Gems of Indian Tradition

Which Gemstones Can Handle Everyday Wear?

Hardness and toughness are two different things, and knowing the difference will save you some heartache. Hardness, measured on the Mohs scale from 1 to 10, is how well a stone resists scratches. Toughness is how well it resists chipping and breaking.

That's why the numbers alone can mislead you. Jade rates only 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale, yet it's tougher than diamond. Emerald rates 7.5 to 8, yet its inclusions make it fragile.

The number 7 matters for a very practical reason. Ordinary household dust contains tiny quartz particles, which rate a 7, so stones softer than that slowly lose their polish every time they're wiped or rubbed.

Simple care that works for most stones

●       Clean with warm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, then rinse and pat dry.

●       Save ultrasonic and steam cleaners for diamond, ruby and sapphire that are untreated or only heat-treated. Skip them for emerald, opal, pearl, turquoise, lapis, malachite, tanzanite, moonstone and any filled or dyed stone.

●       Store pieces separately so harder stones don't scratch softer ones. Diamond scratches everything.

●       Take jewelry off for the gym, gardening, cleaning and swimming. Chlorine is hard on metal and on porous stones.

●       Follow "last on, first off": put jewelry on after lotion, perfume and hairspray, and take it off first at night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most symbolic gemstone?

Diamond is the most widely recognized symbol, thanks to its link with engagements and lasting love. For sheer depth of history, though, lapis lazuli, jade and turquoise have carried meaning even longer, some for more than 5,000 years.

Which gemstone symbolizes love?

Ruby is the classic stone of passionate love, rose quartz stands for unconditional love and self-love, and diamond represents lasting commitment. Garnet and morganite are lovely, more affordable alternatives.

Which gemstones are considered lucky?

Citrine, jade, peridot and alexandrite are the stones most often linked with luck and prosperity. In Chinese tradition, jade is the most important good-fortune stone of all.

What gemstone is best for protection?

Onyx, turquoise, agate and garnet have the longest history as protective stones. Black tourmaline and malachite are popular modern choices.

What is the most spiritual gemstone?

Amethyst is the stone most often linked with spirituality, from bishops' rings to meditation practice. Moonstone, labradorite, lapis lazuli and tanzanite are also associated with intuition and spiritual insight.

What are the 12 biblical gemstones?

The best-known list is the 12 stones of Aaron's breastplate in Exodus 28: sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx and jasper, in the King James Version. Revelation 21 lists a second set of 12 foundation stones, shown in the Bible section above.

Do lab-grown gemstones have the same meaning as natural ones?

Lab-grown gems share the chemistry and physical properties of natural stones, and most people feel they carry the same symbolism. Some even see them as a sign of innovation. What matters most is that the stone is clearly labeled.

Is it bad luck to wear opal if it isn't your birthstone?

No. Opal's unlucky reputation largely comes from an 1829 novel by Sir Walter Scott. For most of history opal was seen as a stone of hope and good fortune, and anyone can wear it.

Can you wear different gemstones together?

Yes. There's no rule against mixing stones, and traditions like the Navaratna and the family birthstone ring are built on it. If meaning matters to you, choose stones whose meanings complement each other.

What are the rarest gemstones?

Among the stones in this guide, fine alexandrite, Paraíba tourmaline, large untreated rubies and natural pearls are the hardest to find. Collectors' gems such as painite, red beryl, grandidierite and taaffeite are rarer still, but you'll seldom see them in jewelry.

Do gemstones have zodiac meanings?

They do, but zodiac stone lists vary widely from one source to the next, so there's no single correct answer. If you want something consistent, the birth month list is far more widely agreed upon.

What's the difference between precious and semi-precious stones?

Traditionally, "precious" meant the Big Four: diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. Everything else was called "semi-precious." The terms say little about actual value, which is why many gemologists avoid them, and a fine tanzanite or Paraíba tourmaline can cost more than a low-grade sapphire.