The Gemstone Jewelry to Get When You Don’t Know What To Get

If you want to get someone special in your life a gift they’ll remember, gemstone jewelry is always a great choice. But what if you don’t know the person intimately enough to know their favorite color or gem? Well, you can always be spot-on if you go with their birthstone as the starting point. And don’t worry. Gone are the days when the only birthstone possibilities were precious and semi-precious gems. There are now acceptable, and in some cases preferred, alternatives to the ruby, emerald, sapphire, diamond and similar pricey gemstone jewelry that express your sentiment without squeezing your wallet.

For the first three months of the year – January, February, and March – the only choices used to be garnet, amethyst, and aquamarine, respectively. Not ultra-expensive, but still pretty pricey in some cases. Now, an alternative for January is rose quartz, which represents emotional balance, February’s options are black or white onyx to express comfort, and aquamarine, the traditional birthstone of March, is now rivaled by bloodstone, representing endurance.

The next three months is when gemstone jewelry got really expensive. April, May, and June’s time-honored gems are diamond, emerald, and alexandrite. And even if you wanted to splurge on one of these gems, finding one of excellent quality is almost impossible today without going the "lab-created” route. Fortunately, the alternatives are not only available in abundance, they’re more affordable as well. April’s diamond can be replaced by clear quartz, May’s emerald by chrysoprase (green quartz), and alexandrite, June’s gem, can be swapped out for moonstone or pearl. Respectively by month, these surrogate options represent balance, fertility, and purity.

From a price perspective, things don’t get much better for the gemstone jewelry buyer the next three months either. Ruby, peridot, and sapphire are July, August, and September’s birthstones. Again, quality rubies and sapphires are increasing difficult to come by, and very expensive when you do. As more reasonable alternatives, red-orange carnelian is viable for June and represents luck. Peridot can be swapped for sardonyx, a yellow-brown stone that conveys security. The blue sapphire can be replaced with lapis, a dark blue and rare stone, which points out the understanding nature of the recipient.

October, November, and December’s traditional stones are all still reasonably priced, so in this case, presenting an alternative birthstone may just be a fun change of pace. The opal, October’s stone, can be substituted with tourmaline to express balance. Topaz, the classic November birthstone, can be replaced with smoky or yellow citrine to represent hope. And finally, the two traditional stones of December, turquoise and zircon, have been joined by a third – tanzanite. This stone, when presented, is meant to display the person’s understanding nature.

Be conscious of the traits you respect and admire most about your recipient. Choose wisely, based on the type of other jewelry they wear and their personal preferences. Don’t buy alternative gemstone jewelry because it’s cheaper, buy it because it expresses a special quality you admire.

You can find the full article about choosing the best gemstone jewelry and much more jewelry advice and information on Jewelrista.com