Birthstones

Though they all have the same crystal structure (cubic, like diamond and spinel), garnet is an entire group of minerals that vary in their chemical composition, resulting in a variety of gems featuring different colors and properties.

Though some varieties of red garnet are common and found on nearly every continent on Earth, other garnets like orange spessartite, green demantoid and tsavorite, are much less abundant.

Though some varieties of red garnet are common and found on nearly every continent on Earth, other garnets like orange spessartite, green demantoid and tsavorite, are much less abundant.

This wonderful member of the quartz family often forms large, six-sided crystals. It's usually quite clear and can be cut into almost every shape, which makes it ideal for jewelry. This wonderful member of the quartz family often forms large, six-sided crystals. It's usually quite clear and can be cut into almost every shape, which makes it ideal for jewelry.

The birthstone for March, aquamarine is one of the most popular members of the beryl family, a sibling to emerald, morganite, bixbite, heliodor, and goshenite.

Bloodstone is green jasper dotted with bright red spots of iron oxide. The green color is caused by small particles of chlorite, a silicate mineral or hornblende needles interspersed throughout the host material. Its distinctive reddish spots are caused by the presence of iron oxides.

Everyone knows what diamonds are, but most might not realize what they once were--chunks of dark, nondescript carbon similar to charcoal, roasting and rumbling around deep within the earth.

Since antiquity, emerald's rich "green fire" has symbolized eternal spring and immortality.

Agate is the banded form of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline variety of quartz.

Multi-Color Cultured Freshwater Pearl silver strand necklace, 24 inch

Moonstone is a variety of feldspar that displays an amazing optical phenomenon called, adularescence.

Alexandrite is the rare color-change variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Its rarity is a result of its unlikely chemical makeup.

The sole birthstone for July, ruby is the brightest and boldest of all birthstones.

August's birthstone, peridot, is a relatively inexpensive, beautiful gem with a pedigree dating back as far as early Egyptians.

Naturally dazzling spinel has graced the pages of history and many royal crowns due to its resemblance to ruby.

September's birthstone has come a long way since the days when any and every blue stone was called a sapphire.

While we often think of opal in terms of phenomenal play of color, this gemstone family is full of other unique and appealing members that have their own allure.

Once proposed to be the national gemstone of the United States, tourmaline is found all over the world and in a variety of colors.

Citrine is one of the most popular gemstones in the quartz group. Prized for its excellent transparency, citrine is one of November's birthstones.

Topaz can be both very common (when clear, or in certain colors like brown, which can turn blue when treated) and very rare (when found in natural beautiful colors rare to the species, like pink and red).