Gemstone Names
Gemstone names carry a surprising amount of history. Amethyst comes from a Greek word meaning “not drunk”, sapphire once referred to lapis lazuli, and several modern gems are named after the people or places where they were found — Tiffany’s tanzanite, J.P. Morgan’s morganite, Tsar Alexander’s alexandrite.
This list covers more than 90 names: the birthstones for every month, the most popular precious and semi-precious gems, some of the rarest minerals on Earth, and gem-inspired names for babies in several languages. For more nature inspiration, see our planet and nature names, names that mean gold and color names.
Birthstones by month
The modern list below follows the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America, with traditional alternatives included where many months have two or three stones.
| Gem | Month | Color & name origin |
|---|---|---|
| Garnet | January | Deep red; Latin granatum, “pomegranate” |
| Amethyst | February | Purple quartz; Greek amethystos, “not drunk” |
| Aquamarine | March | Pale blue beryl; Latin “sea water” |
| Bloodstone | March (traditional) | Green with red flecks; once thought to be martyrs’ blood |
| Diamond | April | Colorless; Greek adamas, “unconquerable” |
| Emerald | May | Green beryl; Greek smaragdos, “green gem” |
| Pearl | June | Organic gem grown inside mollusks |
| Moonstone | June | Milky feldspar with a floating blue sheen |
| Alexandrite | June | Changes green to red; named for Tsar Alexander II |
| Ruby | July | Red corundum; Latin ruber, “red” |
| Peridot | August | Lime-green olivine; possibly Arabic faridat, “gem” |
| Sapphire | September | Usually blue corundum; Greek sappheiros |
| Opal | October | Rainbow flashes; Sanskrit upala, “precious stone” |
| Tourmaline | October | Every color; Sinhalese thoramalli, “mixed stones” |
| Topaz | November | Golden to blue; possibly from the Red Sea island Topazios |
| Citrine | November | Yellow quartz; French citron, “lemon” |
| Turquoise | December | Sky blue; French “Turkish stone” |
| Tanzanite | December | Violet-blue; named by Tiffany & Co. after Tanzania |
Precious and semi-precious gemstones A–Z
Only diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald are traditionally called “precious”; everything else is semi-precious, though some are far rarer and more valuable.
| Gem | Color | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Agate | Banded, many colors | Named after the Achates River in Sicily |
| Amber | Golden orange | Fossilized tree resin, not a mineral |
| Ametrine | Purple and yellow | Natural blend of amethyst and citrine, mainly from Bolivia |
| Aventurine | Green, sparkly | Quartz with glittering mica inclusions |
| Azurite | Deep blue | Copper mineral used as a pigment |
| Beryl | Green, blue, pink, yellow | Mineral family of emerald and aquamarine |
| Carnelian | Orange-red | Chalcedony used in ancient Egyptian seals |
| Chalcedony | Soft blue-grey | Named after Chalcedon, an ancient Greek town |
| Chrysoberyl | Yellow-green | Greek chrysos, “gold”, plus beryl |
| Chrysoprase | Apple green | Nickel gives it its color |
| Coral | Red, pink, white | Skeleton of marine animals |
| Fluorite | Purple, green | Glows under UV light — the origin of “fluorescence” |
| Hematite | Metallic grey | Greek haima, “blood”, for its red powder |
| Iolite | Violet-blue | Greek ios, “violet”; Viking navigators may have used it |
| Jade | Green, white, lavender | Two minerals: jadeite and nephrite |
| Jasper | Red, brown, green | Opaque chalcedony |
| Jet | Black | Fossilized wood, loved by Victorian mourners |
| Kunzite | Pink-violet | Named after gemologist George F. Kunz |
| Kyanite | Blue | Greek kyanos, “dark blue” |
| Labradorite | Grey with blue flash | Found in Labrador, Canada |
| Lapis lazuli | Deep blue with gold flecks | Ground to make ultramarine paint |
| Larimar | Sea blue | Found only in the Dominican Republic |
| Malachite | Banded green | Copper mineral used since ancient Egypt |
| Moldavite | Olive green | Glass formed by a meteorite impact in Central Europe |
| Morganite | Peach pink | Beryl named after J.P. Morgan |
| Obsidian | Glossy black | Natural volcanic glass |
| Onyx | Black and white bands | Greek onyx, “fingernail” |
| Rhodochrosite | Raspberry pink | Greek “rose-colored” |
| Rose quartz | Soft pink | The classic “love stone” |
| Smoky quartz | Brown-grey | Scotland’s national gem (cairngorm) |
| Sodalite | Royal blue | Named for its sodium content |
| Spinel | Red, pink, blue | The “Black Prince’s Ruby” in the British crown is a spinel |
| Sunstone | Orange with glitter | Oregon’s state gem |
| Tiger’s eye | Golden brown | Silky stripes that shift in the light |
| Zircon | Blue, golden, colorless | Oldest minerals on Earth, over 4 billion years |
The rarest gemstones in the world
Some of these were known from only a handful of crystals for decades.
| Gem | Where it’s found | Why it’s special |
|---|---|---|
| Painite | Myanmar | Once listed as the rarest mineral on Earth |
| Benitoite | San Benito County, California | California’s state gem; glows blue under UV |
| Grandidierite | Madagascar | Blue-green; named after explorer Alfred Grandidier |
| Taaffeite | Sri Lanka, Tanzania | First identified in a cut stone, not a rough crystal |
| Musgravite | Musgrave Ranges, Australia | Close relative of taaffeite |
| Red beryl | Wah Wah Mountains, Utah | Also called bixbite |
| Jeremejevite | Namibia | Pale blue, rarely gem quality |
| Poudretteite | Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec | Pink crystals named after the Poudrette family |
| Serendibite | Sri Lanka | From Serendib, an old name for Sri Lanka |
| Paraíba tourmaline | Brazil, Mozambique | Neon blue from copper |
| Demantoid | Ural Mountains, Russia | Green garnet with more fire than diamond |
| Padparadscha | Sri Lanka | Pink-orange sapphire; Sinhalese for “lotus blossom” |
Gem-inspired baby names
Plenty of familiar names hide a jewel in their roots. For more, see pretty girl names and names that mean beautiful.
| Name | Gem link | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Esmeralda | Emerald | Spanish |
| Margaret | Pearl (Greek margaritēs) | Greek, via Latin |
| Margot | Pearl (French short form of Marguerite) | French |
| Greta | Pearl (from Margareta) | German, Scandinavian |
| Gemma | Gem, jewel | Italian |
| Jewel | Precious stone | English |
| Crystal | Clear quartz; Greek krystallos, “ice” | English |
| Sapphira | Sapphire; a woman in Acts 5 | Greek / Hebrew |
| Jacinta | Hyacinth, also a gem (jacinth) | Spanish |
| Perla | Pearl | Spanish, Italian |
| Opaline | Opal-like | French |
| Jett | Jet, the black gem | English |
| Flint | Hard quartz stone | English |
Gemstone names in other languages
Many cultures use gem words as given names, often as symbols of preciousness.
| Name | Gem | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Neelam | Sapphire | Hindi / Sanskrit |
| Heera | Diamond | Hindi / Urdu |
| Almas | Diamond | Persian, Arabic, Turkish |
| Firuze | Turquoise | Turkish (from Persian) |
| Yakut | Ruby | Turkish |
| Lulu | Pearl | Arabic |
| Durrah | Large pearl | Arabic |
| Zumurrud | Emerald | Arabic |
| Marjan | Coral | Persian, Arabic |
| Peninah | Pearl or coral; a wife of Elkanah in 1 Samuel | Hebrew |
| Tama | Jewel, ball | Japanese |
| Moti | Pearl | Hindi |
How to choose a gemstone name
- Start with a birthstone. A child born in May might be an Esmeralda; a July baby could be Ruby.
- Think about color. For pets, match the gem to their coat or eyes: Onyx for black cats, Amber for golden dogs, Sapphire for blue-eyed kittens. See our cat names for more ideas.
- Try an international form. Perla, Marjan or Neelam can feel fresher than the English gem word.
- Mind the nickname. Aquamarine shortens to Marina, Alexandrite to Alex — long gem names come with handy short forms.
Frequently asked questions
What are the four precious gemstones?
Diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald are traditionally called precious; all other gems are considered semi-precious.
What is the rarest gemstone?
Painite was long considered the rarest mineral on Earth, though more crystals have been found since the 2000s. Grandidierite, taaffeite and red beryl are also extremely rare.
Which gemstones are popular baby names?
Ruby, Pearl, Jade, Opal, Amber, Coral and Crystal are the most common, along with gem-derived names like Margaret and Esmeralda.
Why do some months have more than one birthstone?
Jewelers added alternatives over time to offer more affordable or available options. June, for example, has pearl, moonstone and alexandrite.
Is amber a gemstone?
Amber is an organic gem: fossilized tree resin rather than a mineral, like pearl and coral.