Journal

September Birthstone: Sapphire, Beyond Blue

September Birthstone: Sapphire, Beyond Blue

Short answer: September's birthstone is sapphire — and sapphire is not a blue stone. It is the mineral corundum, and it comes in every color except red, because red corundum...

September Birthstone: Sapphire, Beyond Blue

Short answer: September's birthstone is sapphire — and sapphire is not a blue stone. It is the mineral corundum, and it comes in every color except red, because red corundum...

April Birthstone: Diamond, and the Honest Alternatives

April Birthstone: Diamond, and the Honest Alter...

Short answer: April’s birthstone is diamond — and that single word covers three different things once you start shopping. Mined and lab-grown diamonds are both genuinely diamond.

April Birthstone: Diamond, and the Honest Alter...

Short answer: April’s birthstone is diamond — and that single word covers three different things once you start shopping. Mined and lab-grown diamonds are both genuinely diamond.

February Birthstone: Amethyst

February Birthstone: Amethyst

Short answer: February’s birthstone is amethyst — the purple variety of quartz, which the U.S. Geological Survey places at 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. That one number explains most...

February Birthstone: Amethyst

Short answer: February’s birthstone is amethyst — the purple variety of quartz, which the U.S. Geological Survey places at 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. That one number explains most...

January Birthstone: Garnet, Its Meaning and Everyday Wear

January Birthstone: Garnet, Its Meaning and Eve...

Short answer: January’s birthstone is garnet — but garnet is not one stone. It is a group of related minerals spanning red, orange, green and even colour-changing varieties, with a...

January Birthstone: Garnet, Its Meaning and Eve...

Short answer: January’s birthstone is garnet — but garnet is not one stone. It is a group of related minerals spanning red, orange, green and even colour-changing varieties, with a...

October Birthstone: Opal vs Tourmaline

October Birthstone: Opal vs Tourmaline

Short answer: October has two birthstones, opal and tourmaline, and the honest difference between them is durability. Opal is soft and sensitive to water and heat, so a lot of...

October Birthstone: Opal vs Tourmaline

Short answer: October has two birthstones, opal and tourmaline, and the honest difference between them is durability. Opal is soft and sensitive to water and heat, so a lot of...

Gemini Birthstone: Sign Dates vs Birth Month

Gemini Birthstone: Sign Dates vs Birth Month

Short answer: Gemini has two birthstones because the sign straddles two calendar months.

Gemini Birthstone: Sign Dates vs Birth Month

Short answer: Gemini has two birthstones because the sign straddles two calendar months.