specified as alternatives for some of the very rare gems. These alternates were chosen because the color is very close to the original stone on the list.
Even the official list provides a great deal of leeway for several of the months. As an example, a person that is born in the month of June can choose pearl, moonstone, or alexandrite, and an individual with a March birthday can choose either bloodstone or aquamarine. Tanzanite was added as an alternative for December by the American Gem Trade Association in October of 2002, but was virtually unknown when the original list was compiled.
You can also choose your birth gemstones by colors as follows:
* January — Dark Red
* February — Purple
* March — Pale Blue
* April — Clear
* May — Bright Green
* June — Cream
* July — Bright Red
* August — Pale Green
* September — Deep Blue
* October — Variegated
* November — Yellow
* December — Sky Blue
If you find you don’t like the stone for your birth month, you can also choose a birthstone based on the day of the week you were born on. Stones that correspond include:
* Sunday – Topaz (any color)
* Monday – Pearl
* Tuesday – Ruby
* Wednesday – Amethyst
* Thursday – Sapphire
* Friday – Carnelian
* Saturday – Turquoise
Cheaper stones like Swarovski crystals in the color of a gemstone let almost anyone afford to wear a stone that simulates the color of the gem assigned to their birth month or day.
Compare many other types of birthstones on a nice chart