Are you an independent designer who’s looking for an excellent custom jewelry option that will appeal to a wide range of customers? We have your answer: birthstone jewelry. Custom birthstone jewelry offers the perfect canvas for your unique designs. It has something for everyone and never goes out of style!
Birthstones are rich with meaning, and no matter what occasion your customers are shopping for--a birthday, graduation party, wedding, holiday, etc.--birthstone jewelry is always a welcome gift. Learn more about the birthstones for each month, and how you can use them in your custom designs, below.
January: Garnet
Garnet is a very durable gemstone found all over the globe, but the term garnet is actually used to describe a series of several closely-related minerals that can differ greatly in color and clarity. While the most common color for garnets is dark red, they can also be pink, purple, orange, yellow, green, and even colorless.
Garnets symbolize passion, loyalty, faith, success, and friendship. Because of this, custom-made garnet jewelry is a wonderful gift for loved ones and lifelong friends. If you want to give your custom birthstone jewelry a unique touch, feature one of the lesser-known colors in your design, or mix and match various hues to create a signature combination.
February: Amethyst
Amethyst is a member of the quartz family, and it is available in many different shades of purple. Amethyst often occurs in geodes and in the cavities of granitic rocks, and because quartz is the second most abundant material in the Earth’s crust, amethyst can be found all over the globe. Some amethyst is very pale in color, while other specimens are dark and vibrant. The most sought-after amethyst is transparent, strongly saturated, and free from any brown or bronze-colored tints. When it comes to your personalized birthstone jewelry, amethyst can be used in its rough form, or it can be cut and polished.
March: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a variety of the mineral beryl. Pure beryl is colorless, but different impurities can cause beryl to take on a variety of colors. When beryl comes into contact with trace amounts of iron, it takes on a greenish-blue to blue color--which is classified as aquamarine. Aquamarine is often pale in saturation, but the more intense the color is, the more valuable the stone.
Bloodstone
Bloodstone is a dark, earthy green stone that features bright red flecks or veins of iron oxide. Some bloodstones are transparent with red spots (heliotrope) while others are opaque with little to no red spots (plasma). High-quality bloodstones are solid green and feature visible red spots. When it comes to using bloodstones in your custom birthstone jewelry, you can choose whichever shape or cut you prefer--it can remain in a smooth, pebble form, or be cut and polished like any other gemstone.
April: Diamond
April’s birthstone is a girl’s best friend: diamond! Not only are diamonds the toughest gemstone, but they’re also one of the hardest naturally occurring substances found on earth. Though diamonds are often thought of as colorless jewels, they can span the entire color spectrum. Colored diamonds vary in intensity, and the more saturated a given color is, the higher the diamond’s value.
May: Emerald
Emerald is a popular gemstone that is adored for its vivid green color. Much like aquamarine, emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl. The green color is created when beryl comes into contact with trace amounts of the element chromium. Emeralds can be found all over the world, and their color can vary in intensity. The deeper the color is, the more valuable the stone, and the rarest emeralds take on a striking green-blue appearance.
June: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone
Pearl
Unlike other birthstones, pearls are created in nature by living creatures. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes can occur (for instance, baroque pearls.) Perfectly round, natural pearls that are formed in the wild are the most sought-after specimens, but due to high demand, many of today’s pearls are cultured by oyster farmers. High-quality pearls feature a creamy-white, opalescent exterior, but cultured freshwater pearls can be dyed almost any color under the sun. Pearls are very soft, and they’re sensitive to both high heat and acidity. When designing your personalized birthstone jewelry, it’s best to feature them in necklaces and earrings so they see less wear-and-tear.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. The chemical composition of the gemstone causes it to have a blue-green appearance in natural light, and a purple-red appearance under incandescent light. Because of this, alexandrite has been called “emerald by day, ruby by night.” Due to its rarity, alexandrite is more valuable than most gemstones, including diamonds.
Moonstone
Moonstones come from the mineral adularia, and they are composed of microscopic layers of feldspar, which scatters light. The thinner the layers are, the bluer the stone will appear to be. When a moonstone has thick layers, it takes on a milky-white appearance. Moonstones come in a range of colors, including yellow, green, blue, peach, and pink. Because moonstones are not a relatively strong gemstone, they are prone to stress cracking. Custom birthstone jewelry featuring moonstones must be crafted and worn with care.
July: Ruby
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. Most gem-quality corundum takes on a deep, blue color, and is known as sapphire--but rubies are remarkably different from their sister stone. By reacting with the element chromium, rubies take on a striking red color and a beautiful fluorescence, which makes them appear to glow from within. It’s a beautiful result--but because chromium can cause cracks and fissures while the crystal is forming, it’s also a double-edged sword. Large, high-quality rubies are very scarce and very valuable.
August: Peridot, Sardonyx, and Spinel
Peridot
Peridot is the rare gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine. It’s a brilliant, crystal clear gemstone with olive green coloring. The intensity of each stone is determined by the amount of iron contained in the crystal’s structure. Because of this, natural peridot gemstones can fall anywhere on the yellow-green-brown spectrum. In rare cases, peridot can even form with little to no yellow or brown, and take on a bright green appearance very similar to emerald.
Sardonyx
Sardonyx is a banded variety of chalcedony, which features alternating layers of sard and onyx. The sard layers are often yellowish-red to reddish-brown in color, depending on how much iron oxide is present. The layers of onyx are white. Because the layers form in parallel bands, sardonyx can be skillfully cut and polished by master artisans to showcase the beautiful juxtaposition. If you’re interested in making affordable custom birthstone jewelry, sardonyx is an easily available gemstone that is relatively inexpensive.
Spinel
Spinel is a beautiful gemstone made of magnesium aluminum oxide, and though it may not have a household name, it has been used to make breathtaking jewelry for centuries. In fact, many famous rubies and sapphires have actually been identified as spinel upon further analysis. Spinel comes in many color varieties, including pink, red, purple, blue, orange, yellow, and even black, which makes it an incredibly versatile option for your custom birthstone jewelry. Spinel’s distinguishing features include its octahedral crystal structure and single refraction, and the more vivid the color is, the more valuable the stone.
September: Sapphire
Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum, which is an aluminum oxide. It’s most popular shade is royal blue, though sapphires can also occur in yellow, purple, green, orange, black, colorless--and almost every hue under the sun, except for red. Corundum in the shade of red (and in some locations, pink) is given it’s own moniker: ruby. A sapphire’s color changes based on other elements it contains (iron, copper, chromium, etc.) When designing your personalized birthstone jewelry, embrace a variety of colors and give your September babies something unique to wear.
October: Opal and Tourmaline
Opal
Opals are an amorphous mineraloid made out of hydrated silica, and their water content can range from 3 to 21 percent! Instead of having a typical crystalline structure, opals are composed of microscopic silica spheres that diffract light. This light diffraction is what makes precious opals appear to show a variety of colors, all at once. Many different types of opals exist, and “common opals” do not feature this mystical play of color. Most opals are often referred to by their body color (white, red, blue, black, etc.) Because opals are very delicate, they can crack under extreme temperature, pressure, dehydration, and direct light. Handle all custom opal birthstone jewelry with care.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a gemstone that features a beautiful mix of colors, and it is available in every hue imaginable. The reason tourmaline features more than one color is because it is not one mineral--the term tourmaline is used to describe a complex group of minerals that each feature their own unique chemical compositions and physical properties. If you’re interested in using a particular variety of tourmaline for your custom birthstone jewelry, narrow down your options by choosing a specific subcategory: rubellite (red tourmaline,) verdelite (green tourmaline,) schorl (black tourmaline,) or even parti-colored tourmaline, which displays more than one color.
November: Topaz and Citrine
Topaz
Once upon a time, all yellow gemstones were thought to be topaz, and all topaz was assumed to be yellow. However, topaz actually comes in many different colors, and pure topaz is colorless. Like many other gemstones, the color variations of topaz are a result of various impurities. Because topaz is a relatively hard and durable gemstone, it is well suited for jewelry. The rarest color is Imperial topaz, which features bright orange coloring and a pink undertone. Pink, purple, and dark blue topaz are also relatively rare, as they do not often form naturally.
Citrine
Citrine is a variety of quartz that ranges from light yellow to dark brown-orange. Citrine gets its yellow color from traces of iron. Because naturally occurring citrine is quite rare, most citrines found on the market is created by heating more common varieties of quartz, like amethyst. Citrine is a relatively durable semi-precious stone, which makes it a good option for large custom birthstone jewelry. Like most gemstones, the richer the color, the more valuable the stone.
December: Turquoise, Zircon, and Tanzanite
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-green secondary mineral made from a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum. Turquoise is available in many different shades of blue, including powdery blue, sky blue, and robin’s egg blue, which features a hint of green. Copper contributes the primary blue hues, while iron and chrome add the slight hint of green. Some turquoise contains veins and patches of host rock, which can lower the stone’s value, but definitely gives it a touch of personality.
Zircon
Not only is zircon a beautiful gemstone that’s available in a wide variety of colors, but it’s also the oldest mineral on earth, and contains important information about the formation of our planet. Zircon commonly occurs in an earthy, brownish-red hue, but most gem-quality zircon is heat treated until it’s gold, blue, or colorless. Blue zircon is the popular choice for a December birthstone, but you can create personalized birthstone jewelry in any color.
Tanzanite
Tanzanite is the blue variety of the mineral zoisite, and it can only be mined in Tanzania. Because of this, tanzanite’s value has a direct correlation with its availability. Trace amounts of vanadium, when combined with extreme heat, give this rare variety of zoisite its blue color, and when cut properly, jewelers can minimize the appearance of brown tones and emphasize the stone’s attractive blue and violet hues. Though tanzanite may rival sapphire in beauty, it is less durable than it’s precious counterpart. When it comes to custom birthstone jewelry, tanzanite is better suited for earrings and necklaces than rings.
Contact Us Today!
If you’re interested in creating a custom line of birthstone jewelry, let our artisans at MKM Jewelry help you bring your creative vision to life. With over 15 years of experience, and the top technology in the industry, we’ll go above and beyond your every expectation. Contact us today for more information!
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