We're all big lovers of diamonds here at One Fab Day. But interestingly enough, not all of us engaged or married folk on the team are rocking one, some of us wear birthstone engagement rings with pride instead. From gorgeous green emeralds or stunning blue sapphires to opals and glistening topaz, birthstones make a beautiful choice for an engagement ring. Not only is using a birthstone to propose a thoughtful touch, but they can often be more budget-friendly than diamonds - perfect for budget conscious brides or grooms (or someone who wants a ring with a more statement stone!).
To help you decide if a birthstone engagement ring is for you, we've put together a handy guide featuring a list of birthstones by month, as well as some gorgeous birthstone engagement rings to give you some inspiration for your own signature sparkler.
(Oh BTW, these pretties would make gorgeous token engagement rings too...)
Birthstone Engagement Rings
January Birthstone: Garnet
Garnets come in a selection of colours and have many different varieties, but the most popular shade of garnet gemstones is dark red. The name garnet comes from the Latin word Granatus, meaning “seed like,” in reference to a pomegranate (the fruit of the new year in ancient Rome and Greece!). This reference makes sense as garnets look like the bright red seeds you find inside the fruit, and are made up of a mix of minerals rather than one stone. A really gorgeous engagement ring option for any January ladies!
February Birthstone: Amethyst
Amethyst, a semi-precious stone, is a violet variety of quartz. The name Amethyst derives from the Greek word Amethustos, meaning “not intoxicated,” yes really! However, in today’s world, Amethyst is a stone of spirituality and contentment, which makes it perfect for starting off married life with your February fiancé!
March Birthstone: Aquamarine
Aquamarine comes from the Latin phrase meaning "water of the sea" and is a light-blue to green-blue gemstone believed to help the wearer make new friends and even manifest affection in others! A really striking stone when you see it in the flesh, aquamarine looks particularly gorgeous in a large emerald cut.
April Birthstone: Diamond
April’s birthstone is the diamond (the lucky things!), but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to traditional styles if you are after something different. Look for rough diamonds or more unusual settings - salt and pepper and grey diamonds are having quite a moment right now too.
May Birthstone: Emerald
The emerald has been a gem of fascination in many cultures for over six thousand years - it is so prized, that carat for carat, a fine emerald may be two to three times as valuable as a diamond. Emerald hues range from yellow-green to blue-green, with the primary and most popular colour being that iconic rich green. As tough as diamonds or sapphires, emeralds have a high resistance to breakage, making them the perfect option for a ring that lasts a lifetime.
June Birthstone: Pearl or Alexandrite
Pearls are made from calcium carbonate and rate quite low on the scale as engagement rings stones, as they can scratch and tarnish easily, so not an ideal stone for everyday wear. If you do have your heart set on a pearl make sure to choose smaller pearls, set into surround of hardier gemstones, (and be prepared to put your rubber gloves on when you do the dishes!)
June's alternative birthstone is alexandrite. Often described by gem aficionados as “emerald by day, ruby by night,” alexandrite is the very rare colour-changing variety of the mineral chrysoberyl.
July Birthstone: Ruby
Beautiful rubies can vary from orange-red to slightly purplish-red range, with the most preferred colour, a pure and vivid medium-to-dark red. Ruby is among the hardest of the precious stones, providing durability that adds to their value. In the early 17th and 18th centuries, rubies and diamonds were paired together to create extravagant engagement rings and wedding bands.
August Birthstone: Peridot
Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one colour, a beautiful olive-green. Peridot is always green in colour but with considerable variations, their particular shades depend on their locality of origin. Symbolising strength, peridot is a fitting stone to mark an engagement.
September Birthstone: Sapphire
A sapphire is typically blue in colour, but natural sapphires also occur in white, yellow, purple, orange, and green, a deep and vivid blue is the hue that is traditionally most desired. Parti sapphires show two or more colours in a single stone. Among the strongest gemstones, white sapphires make great diamond alternatives, and as for blue sapphires, if they're good enough for Kate Middleton's engagement ring, they're good enough for ours!
October Birthstone: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
Opal derives from the Greek word Opallios, meaning “to see a change of colour.” Their pearly lustre can feature every colour in the rainbow! Opal is also aptly known as the “water stone” as it contains a larger proportion of water than any other gemstone. Due to this, the opal quite a soft stone and may not stand heavy duty wear and tear, so the setting for an opal engagement ring needs to be chosen carefully.
Tourmaline is the alternate birthstone for October. Often mistaken for a ruby, pink tourmaline however, tends to be less red and more vibrant in colour. It also comes in green, blue and multi-coloured hues. Representative of feminine energies, tourmaline has been known to symbolise matters of the heart!
November Birthstone: Topaz or Citrine
Citrine is the alternate birthstone for November. The name comes from the French word citron, meaning lemon. It is a transparent, yellow variety of quartz, ranging in colour from pale to golden yellow, honey or almost brown, and may contain rainbow or sparkle inclusions. This stone looks particularly gorgeous as part of a colourful cluster.
Although you may be more familiar with the blue tones, topaz can vary in colour and price, with the most valuable colours of topaz the golden orange-yellow variety, called Imperial Topaz, as well as the dark pinkish-red and orange-red tones. Topaz makes a perfect gemstone for an engagement ring as it boasts good hardness, gorgeous colours and is also a symbol of love, affection, and fire.
December Birthstone: Zircon, Turquoise and Tanzanite
December's birthstone is not one but three different gemstones. Zircon, turquoise and tanzanite, all very beautiful and different shades of blue. Colourless zircon is a convincing replacement for diamond, tanzanite often substitutes sapphire, and turquoise is unmatched in its hue of robin’s egg blue. These gems range from the oldest on earth (zircon), to one of the first mined and used in jewels (turquoise), to one of the most recently discovered (tanzanite). The gemstone was given the name 'tanzanite' by Tiffany & Co. after Tanzania, the country in which it was discovered. Lots of options for a festive birthday proposal!
Ready to pop the question and find that perfect ring? Check out all our engagement posts below!
- A-Z Guide to Alternative Gemstones for Engagement Rings
- On the hunt for the perfect ring? Check out our 14 Tips To Buy The Right One.
- Here our top tips for designing your own engagement ring
- Where to get the best custom engagement rings in Ireland.
- How to work out someone's ring size to get the perfect fit
