The 12 birthstones — a gift-buyer's guide

Birthstones turn a pretty piece into a personal one. The modern list, with
maker's notes:

• Jan — Garnet: deep red, Mohs ~7, budget-friendly, bracelet-safe.
• Feb — Amethyst: purple quartz, abundant and lovely; large stones cheap.
• Mar — Aquamarine: sea-blue beryl, good hardness, pale tones suit
  silver.
• Apr — Diamond: the hardest; alternatives (white sapphire, CZ) for
  budgets — read the [diamond guide](https://jewelleryvideo.com/diamond-4cs-guideU bs-dia).
• May — Emerald: gorgeous, fragile-ish, usually oiled — gentle settings.
• Jun — Pearl: the organic one; see the pearl guide.
• Jul — Ruby: red corundum, excellent hardness; treatments common,
  disclosure normal.
• Aug — Peridot: olive-green, good hardness, fun prices.
• Sep — Sapphire: every colour (blue classic); tough and brilliant.
• Oct — Opal: play-of-colour, soft-ish, protective settings.
• Nov — Citrine / Topaz: warm yellows, great hardness, easy wears.
• Dec — Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircon: turquoise is soft (pendants);
  tanzanite is a looker with care needs.

Matching stone to setting hardness: gemstone hardness guide.
Make it personal with the
gemmology start.

What students say

“I will use the skills acquired to make pieces for family, friends and of course, myself! If I could get to a point of eventually selling pieces, even better!”

— Elena A. (Australia) · published student feedback

“I enjoyed glass fusing because I wanted to learn about glass fusing and the class conducted provide enough information to play around with glass fusing.”

— Melani A. (Indonesia) · published student feedback

Free ways to explore

No sign-up, no payment — start with any of these.

TTake the 2-minute course finderFREE
Answer a few questions, get personal course recommendations.TThe complete course guideFREE
Every course, family and diploma in one PDF.FFree gem webinar replaysFREE
Full recorded sessions on gems and the jewellery trade.PPlay Name That GemFREE
The school's free gem-identification game.

Keep exploring

From hobby to certificate — how jewellery courses stack into a diplomaHow JDMIS certificate courses stack into recognised diplomas — the modular path from firstYour first 90 days of jewellery making — a practice planA realistic 90-day practice plan for new jewellery makers — weekly rhythms, what to practiSoldering your first silver joints — the flowing momentSilver soldering fundamentals — seam preparation, flux, heat control, pallions and the exaJewellery making for beginners — the honest first-year roadmapA no-hype roadmap for learning jewellery making from zero — which craft family to try firs

Try a one-day jewellery class

Short experience classes at JDMIS need no tools, no experience and no commitment — a single session gives you a real taste of the craft.

Visit jdmis.edu.sg