Black Birthstones
Black is favored by many and it has been a color of fashion and style for a very long time. For men black color meaning was good sense, courage, and constancy. For young women black hues meant fun, for married women – love constancy and perseverance. Black is the color of planet Saturn and Capricorn zodiac sign.
Black gemstones are mentioned or are considered sacred in different religions and ancient civilizations. In Christian mythology black color is a symbol of sorrow soon to become joy because of the resurrection of Christ. The black stone of Mecca is sacred to Islam. The ancient Assyrian pillars of black color had the most ancient engravings of zodiac signs.
Black gemstones have been used in jewelry for thousands of years, and nowadays are often set into high end pieces. What birthstone is black?
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Onyx
Arguably, the most famous black birthstone is onyx. It can be with black and white stripes, but also occurs in solid blackObsidian
Another gem that can actually be found in many colors, but is mostly known as a black birthstone is obsidian – a so called volcanic glass.Diamond
A girl’s best friend – the diamond is known to every man and their dog nowadays, and in most jewelry shops is offered in colorless option. Diamonds in other colors are also called ‘fancy diamonds’ and, believe it or not, they do come in black!Opal
Opal occurs in a multitude of colors, and often has many of those colors present in the same stone. Black opal was regarded as a superior good luck stone.
Rose Gold Black Diamond & Emerald Mini Ring
5. Sapphire
Sapphire is accepted by people as a blue birthstone though it naturally occurs in a multitude of hues including black. Black sapphires are mostly found in Queensland, Australia. This is where the famous 733-carat Black Star of Queensland originates from.
6. Jade
Similarly to sapphire, when people think about jade, most of the time they imagine a green birthstone even though jade comes in virtually any color including black.
7. Serpentine
Black is the color of the sacred symbol in ancient Egypt – the scarab. Most of gemstone scarabs were carved from another black birthstone – serpentine
8. and 9. Agate and Jasper
Crystals like agate or jasper virtually come in any imaginable color hence can be accepted as black birthstones too..
10. Garnet
There are many varieties of birthstone garnet, one of which is called pyrop. Those pyrop garnets are always almost red, however some crystals are so dark that they are in essence black birthstones.
Black Onyx
11. Pearl
There are a lot of legends about Tahitian pearl – a majestic back birthstone produced by black lip oyster in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. Black pearl is an emblem of philosophy.
12. Tourmaline
“This black thing, one of the prettiest of the very few pretty black things in the world, is called Tourmaline.” – wrote John Ruskin, 19th century English philosopher and art patron.
13. and 14. Hematite and Beryl
Hematite as well as beryl can be considered black birthstones too.
15. Spinel
Black spinels often occur together with sapphires. In other words, if you find spinels, you may find sapphires there too. Spinel is one of the latest additions to the birthstone list.
What month is black birthstone? Most black birthstones are assigned to August, October and December however other months have them too. Please consult the table below compiled based on major birthstones by month list as well as alternative birthstone list.
| Month | Black Birthstones |
|---|---|
| January | Garnet, Onyx, Jasper |
| February | Jasper, Serpentine |
| March | Jasper |
| April | Diamond, Sapphire |
| May | Agate |
| June | Pearl, Beryl, Onyx, Agate |
| July | Sapphire, Onyx |
| August | Diamond, Spinel |
| September | Sapphire |
| October | Opal, Tourmaline, Agate |
| November | |
| December | Beryl, Sapphire, Jade |
