Discover Your Birthstone
A Glimpse into Personalized Elegance
Welcome to Milano Fine Jewelry's guide to birthstones, where each gem holds a unique allure and significance based on the month of your birth. Let's embark on a journey to explore the enchanting world of these precious gems, including the new variations that add a modern twist to tradition.
Garnet - January Birthstone
Thought to Possess Calming and Restorative Powers
Color
Garnets are set of closely related minerals that form a group, resulting in gemstones in almost every color.
Pyrope an almandine range in color from purple to red. Spessarttine found in a variety or oranges and yellows, white andradite is mostly yellow to green. Grossular has perhaps the widest color range of ay garnet species, from colorless through yellow to reddish orange and orangy red, to a strong vibrant green called tsavorite.
Mineral - Garnet Group
Mohs Hardness - 6.5 to 7.5
Toughness - Good
Major Sources - Afghanistan, Brazil, India, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Namibia, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania
Amethyst - February Birthstone
Believed To Quicken Intelligence and Dispel Evil Thoughts
Color
Amethyst is the purple variety of the mineral quartz. It's the gem most commonly
associated with the color purple, even though there are other purple gems such as sapphire and tanzanite.
The purple can be cool and bluish, or a reddish purple that's sometimes referred to as "raspberry."
Mineral - Quartz
Mohs Hardness - 7
Toughness - Good
Major Sources - Brazil, United States, Uruguay, Zambia
Aquamarine - March Birthstone
Thought to Enhance the happiness of marriages
Color
Aquamarine is the light green-blue to blue variety of the mineral beryl. It is generally light to medium in tone.
Aquamarine's most valuable color is a vibrant, medium blue to slightly greenish blue.
Mineral - Beryl
Mohs Hardness - 7.5 to 8
Toughness - Good
Major Sources - Brazil, Pakistan, United States, Uruguay, Zambia
Diamonds - April Birthstone
Thought to Bestow Longevity, Strength, Beauty and Happiness
Color
Alltough many people think of gem quality diamonds as colorless, truly colorless diamonds are actually rare. Many diamonds used in jewelry are nearly colorless with tints of yellow or brown. Fancy color diamonds come in a variety of colors, though the most prized hues are red, pink, blue and green.
Mineral - Diamond
Mohs Hardness - 10
Toughness - Good to Exceptional
Major Sources - Angola, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Inia, Lesotho, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Emerald - May Birthstone
An Amulet Believed to Protect Against Evil Spells
Color
Emerald is the green bluish green variety of the mineral beryl colored by trace elements of chromium and vanadium. The most desirable emerald colors are bluish green to pure green with strong to vivid color saturation and medium to medium-dark tone.
Mineral - Diamond
Mohs Hardness - 10
Toughness - Good to Exceptional
Major Sources - Angola, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Inia, Lesotho, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Pearl - June Birthstone
Symbol of Modesty, Chasity and Purity
Color
Pearl bodycolor varies by the type of mollusk it is formed in. Although white pearls are the most traditional, other colors are very popular. The main bodycolor of a pearl is often modified by additional colors called overtones, which are typically pink, green, purple and blue.
Mineral - Calcium Carbonate
Mohs Hardness - 2.5 to 3
Toughness - Good
Major Sources - Australia, China, French Polynesia, Gulf of Mannar, Indonesia, Japan, Panama, Persian Gulf, Philippines, Unites States, Venezuela
Ruby - July Birthstone
An Amulet Believed to Protect Against Evil Spells
Color
The color of ruby is caused by traces of chromium. Color is the most significant factor affecting a ruby's value. Rubies are available in rich red to dark red and orangy red to purplish red. The most sought-after color by collectors worldwide is a deep red sometimes with a hint of purple, called "pigeon's blood" in the trade.
Mineral - Corundum
Mohs Hardness - 9
Toughness - Excellent
Major Sources - Afghanistan, Greenland, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam
Peridot - August Birthstone
An Amulet Believed to Protect Against Evil Spells
Color
Peridot's color ranges from yellowish green to greenish yellow. The most favored peridot color is a richly saturated pure grass green without any hint of yellow or brown, which is usually only achieved in gems of 10 ct or larger.
Mineral - Olivine
Mohs Hardness - 6.5 to 7
Toughness - Fair to Good
Major Sources - China, Egypt, Finland, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tanzania, United States, Vietnam
sapphire - September Birthstone
A Symbol Of Sincerity and Faithfullness
Color
The rich hues of blue sapphire are universally known but fancy sapphires come in many colors including pink, yellow, purple, colorless, black, green and the rare pinkish orange sapphire referred to in the trade as Padparadscha, Nevertheless, the most preferred and most valuable sapphires are deep color saturations known in the trade as "Royal Blue" and the soft velvety bluer called "Cornflower Blue."
Mineral - Corundum
Mohs Hardness - 9
Toughness - Excellent
Major Sources - Australia, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Kashmir, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, Vietnam
Tourmaline - October Birthstone
Believed to Encourage Artistic Intuition
Color
Tourmaline's wide range of colors vary in intensity and tone. Many tourmaline color varieties have inspired their own trade names. The most expensive tourmalines are the highly popular green to violet colors that are often called "electric" or "neon" by the trade.
Mineral - Tourmaline Group
Mohs Hardness - 7 to 7.5
Toughness - Fair
Major Sources - Afghanistan, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Yellow Topaz - November Birthstone
Talisman Of Wisdom, Beauty and Longevity
Color
This gemstone features a variety of colors, from colorless, light blue, yellow, orange, pink, violet, brown and, very rarely, red. The element chromium causes natural pink, red and violet to purple colors in topaz. Imperfections at the atomic level in topaz crystal structure can cause yellow, brown and blue color.
Mineral - Topaz
Mohs Hardness - 8
Toughness - Poor
Major Sources - Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, United States
Tanzanite - December Birthstone
Talisman Of Wisdom, Beauty and Longevity
Color
Tanzanite is the blue to bluish purple variety of the mineral zoisite. The most prized is a pure blue color, similar to fine sapphire, or an intense violet blue. Viewing at different angles, tanzanite's hue may appear violet. In some exceptional tanzanites, the color is predominantly an intense violetish blue with red flashes of pleochroic color coming from within the stone.
Mineral - Zoisite
Mohs Hardness - 6 to 7
Toughness - Fair to Poor
Major Sources - Tanzania