Teraju · The Art of Remembrance
Every month carries a stone. This guide walks slowly through all twelve: what each stone is, the tradition it carries and the choice that awaits you.
The selection begins at the bench, one faceted emerald at a time.
An editorial guide · Natural stones · Real gold · Twelve chapters
The twelve chapters
January Garnet · February Amethyst · March Aquamarine · April Diamond · May Emerald · June Pearl · July Ruby · August Peridot · September Sapphire · October Opal & Pink Tourmaline · November Citrine · December Blue Topaz
Find your stone
Each month answers with its stone and its hardness: January, garnet, Mohs 6.5 to 7.5. February, amethyst, Mohs 7. March, aquamarine, Mohs 7.5 to 8. April, diamond, Mohs 10. May, emerald, Mohs 7.5 to 8. June, pearl, Mohs 2.5 to 3. July, ruby, Mohs 9. August, peridot, Mohs 6.5 to 7. September, sapphire, Mohs 9. October, opal and pink tourmaline, Mohs 5 to 7.5. November, citrine, Mohs 7. December, blue topaz, Mohs 8.
Introduction
Every month carries a stone.
The tradition reaches back to antiquity. Its earliest roots lie in the breastplate of Aaron, which held twelve stones. Over the centuries those twelve came to be matched with the twelve months of the year. The modern list took its settled form in 1912. Several months now carry two stones or more. The list keeps evolving gently. Spinel joined peridot for August in 2016. Beneath every revision one instinct stays constant: a human life deserves a marker made of something older than memory.
At Teraju we work with natural stones and real gold. This guide honours both halves of a birthstone: the stone itself and the tradition that surrounds it. Each month opens with the stone: its geology, its character and the care it asks of you. Each month then turns to the symbolism that tradition has woven around it and closes with the choice. We share those stories in the spirit they deserve, as heritage and as poetry. A birthstone marks a chapter of a life. A marker of that depth already carries great weight.
You may choose your own birth month. You may choose the month of someone you love. You may simply follow the stone that holds your gaze the longest. Each path leads home.
Plate I · Winter, garnet embers and amethyst quiet
Faceted garnets glow ember red beside the pomegranate seeds their name recalls, while an oval amethyst keeps its violet counsel in a gold pendant.
No. 01 · January — Garnet
Mohs 6.5 to 7.5 · Silicate family · Rewards gentle wear
The stone
Garnet names a whole family of minerals. Pyrope and almandine, its deep red members, hold the classic January place. In sunlight red garnet glows like an ember. In shade it deepens toward wine. The family also holds green tsavorite and demantoid, along with warm orange spessartine. Garnet rates 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Earrings and pendants wear it beautifully, while rings reward a gentle hand.
The tradition
The name arrives from the medieval Latin granatus, the pomegranate, for the red seeds the stone recalls. A cluster of rough red garnets shows the resemblance at a glance. Egyptian pharaohs wore garnet necklaces. Roman signet rings carried garnet intaglios. Old traditions credited the stone with health and emotional strength. Garnet still feels like something warm held close to the heart.
The choice
Most garnet reaches the market in its natural state, a quiet honesty the trade prizes. Ask your jeweller which variety you hold, because a common red garnet and a fine tsavorite live in very different price worlds under one family name.
No. 02 · February — Amethyst
Mohs 7 · Violet quartz · Suits daily wear
The stone
Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz. Its shades run from soft lilac to deep royal purple, with cool bluish tones in some stones and a reddish raspberry in others. Angular zones of lighter and darker colour often drift through a single crystal. Amethyst rates 7 on the Mohs scale and serves as a dependable companion for daily wear.
The tradition
The Greek word amethystos means a remedy against drunkenness, a nod to the colour of wine and to Bacchus, its god. The Greeks tied the stone to a clear head. Renaissance Europeans believed it calmed passionate lovers. Catherine the Great favoured it. Amethyst still arrives when a clear head and a calm heart matter most.
The choice
Colour guides the value. A deep and even purple stands as the prize. Heat treatment is the most common way to refine amethyst colour. The change is permanent. Amethyst keeps its violet best in soft light, because long exposure to intense light can fade some stones. Give your piece a shaded resting place at home.
No. 03 · March — Aquamarine
Mohs 7.5 to 8 · Beryl family · Clear as water
The stone
Aquamarine is the blue to greenish blue variety of beryl and a close cousin of emerald. Its colour carries the pastel of sea glass and the depth of open water. Aquamarine rates 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. Faceted stones often show a clarity as clear as water.
The tradition
The name comes from the Latin word for seawater. Ancient mariners believed the stone calmed the waves and kept sailors safe at sea. The stone has long stood for purity of spirit and soul. People born in March inherit a stone the colour of deep breath and open water.
The choice
Most aquamarine on the market receives gentle heat that purifies the blue, though some collectors treasure the natural greenish tone. Reputable sellers disclose the treatment as a matter of course. Purer and more intense blue carries the greater value. A deep blue stone and a pale one share a name yet live in different worlds of price and presence.
Plate II · Spring, diamond light and emerald gardens
A round natural diamond ring leads the plate, beside a great emerald in a gold halo and pearl earrings crowned with diamonds.
No. 04 · April — Diamond
Mohs 10 · Crystalline carbon · Graded by the four Cs
The stone
Diamond is the one gem made of a single element: carbon. It formed more than a billion years ago, about one hundred miles beneath the earth, where heat and pressure persuade that humble element into the hardest natural material known. Diamond rates 10 on the Mohs scale. The four Cs guide its grading: cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. Cut shapes the beauty of a diamond because cut governs the light the stone returns to your eye.
The tradition
The Greek word adamas, source of the name diamond, speaks of a strength that holds against every force. Diamond has stood for clarity, strength and love for centuries. An ancient Greek story gave Eros arrows tipped with diamond. The stone anchors the classic engagement ring. It belongs just as gracefully in a piece a woman chooses for herself to mark something she built or something she survived.
The choice
Teraju chooses natural diamonds, stones formed deep within the earth over more than a billion years. Laboratories now grow diamonds with essentially the same chemistry and optical character. The two stones carry different origins and different values. Choose with open eyes. Ask for an independent grading report for any diamond of consequence.
No. 05 · May — Emerald
Mohs 7.5 to 8 · Beryl family · Asks for mindful wear
The stone
Emerald is green beryl. Trace chromium, vanadium and iron lend the stone its spring colour. Most emeralds carry inclusions visible to the eye, a fine inner landscape that jewellers call the jardin, from the French word for garden. Emerald rates 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. Its garden asks for mindful wear. Earrings and pendants serve the stone kindly. A ring rewards a gentle hand.
The tradition
The name comes from the ancient Greek smaragdos. Emerald has been prized since ancient times, from Egyptian pharaohs to Inca emperors. Cleopatra loved the stone and wore it among her royal adornments. Its green has long spoken of rebirth and renewal. Green is the colour of life. Emerald belongs to spring, to beginnings and to the courage of starting again.
The choice
Most emeralds receive oil, wax or resin that settles into fine fractures reaching the surface and softens their appearance. Honest sellers disclose the level of treatment openly. Ultrasonic cleaners can push the filler out, so a soft brush and warm soapy water serve best. Colour guides the value above all: a vivid bluish green to pure green with even colour and high transparency is the prize. Eye clean natural emeralds are rare and especially valuable.
No. 06 · June — Pearl
Mohs 2.5 to 3 · Organic gem · Asks for tender handling
The stone
Pearl grows inside a living creature. The fact still astonishes jewellers. A mollusc secretes nacre layer upon layer around a tiny irritant or a gently seeded bead. Seasons of patience yield a single pearl. Pearl rates 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale and asks for tender handling. June also claims alexandrite, a rare stone that looks green in daylight and turns red under incandescent light. Moonstone belongs to June as well, with a blue sheen that seems to drift across the stone.
The tradition
Pearls carry purity, humility and innocence in their long symbolism. Ancient cultures told many tales of their origin. Some held that pearls were teardrops from heaven. Pearls were traditionally given as wedding gifts. The June birthstone meaning is sweet simplicity. To us the pearl is the stone of patience: beauty that took its time and arrived complete.
The choice
Judge a pearl by its lustre first, because lustre may be the most important of the seven pearl value factors. A fine pearl returns sharp and bright reflections from its surface. Cultured freshwater pearls, grown in large numbers, live in one world of price and presence. Cultured saltwater pearls, Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian among them, live in another. A good jeweller will name yours precisely. Put your pearls on after perfume and hairspray. Wipe them with a soft cloth after wearing. That small ritual protects their glow.
Plate III · Summer, ruby fire and sapphire depth
An oval ruby ring rests on rose petals, a faceted peridot shows its summer green and an oval sapphire shines inside a double halo of diamonds.
No. 07 · July — Ruby
Mohs 9 · Red corundum · King of precious stones
The stone
Ruby is red corundum, the crimson member of the sapphire family. Trace chromium creates the red. More chromium deepens it. The finest colour, a deep red with a breath of purple, carries the trade name pigeon's blood. Ruby rates 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond among the great gems. Fine natural ruby ranks among the most valuable stones on earth, carat for carat.
The tradition
Ancient India called ruby the king of precious stones. The name arrives from the Latin ruber, red, a colour long linked with love and passion. People born in July inherit a dramatic stone with a royal memory.
The choice
Heat often removes purplish tones and leaves a purer red. The trade accepts the treatment because it remains stable under normal wear. Reputable jewellers disclose it as a matter of course. Glass filling travels a different road. Glass fills surface cracks and cavities in lower quality stones and leaves them more vulnerable to damage. An independent laboratory report shows whether a ruby is natural or synthetic and whether it has been treated.
No. 08 · August — Peridot
Mohs 6.5 to 7 · Gem olivine · Gem of the sun
The stone
Peridot is gem olivine, born in the upper mantle of the earth. A few rare crystals arrive from farther away, carried inside pallasite meteorites that fell to earth. Iron gives peridot its distinctive yellowish green, which deepens toward a pure grass green in the finest stones. It rates 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. Pendants and earrings suit the stone best. Rings suit special days. August also carries spinel, which rates 8 on the Mohs scale and was mistaken for ruby for centuries.
The tradition
The Red Sea island of Zabargad is the oldest recorded source of peridot. Egyptians called the stone the gem of the sun. Peridot is a summer stone in every sense, sunlight made durable.
The choice
Price follows colour and size. A rich and even green with a clear bright face is the prize. Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush keep peridot clean. Steam and ultrasonic cleaners risk thermal shock. Store peridot apart from harder gems that could scratch it.
No. 09 · September — Sapphire
Mohs 9 · Corundum family · A spectrum of colour
The stone
Sapphire is corundum in a spectrum of colour, blue above all, with pink, yellow, green and more in its train. The red member of the family carries the name ruby. Sapphire rates 9 on the Mohs scale and shows excellent toughness. Kashmir, Myanmar and Sri Lanka rank among the historic sources of the finest blue stones. Fine blue sapphire shows a velvety blue that seems lit from within.
The tradition
Ancient Persians believed that the earth rested upon a giant sapphire and that its reflection gave the sky its blue. Sapphire has stood for sincerity, truth and faithfulness ever since. The stone anchors many engagement rings chosen by women who want colour with meaning.
The choice
Heat treatment is common for sapphire. The result is permanent and the trade widely accepts it. Honest sellers also name less common treatments plainly, such as lattice diffusion, fracture filling and dyeing. Blue leads the family in fame. The fancy colours deserve your attention as well: a fine pink or yellow sapphire carries the same great durability in a different voice.
Featured at Teraju: the Orus Blue Sapphire Pendant carries September in deep velvety blue, set in real gold.
Plate IV · Autumn, citrine gold and December skies
Golden citrine drops rest on pale stone in a pendant and matching earrings, while a blue topaz ring with a diamond halo carries December on a hand in sunlight.
No. 10 · October — Opal & Pink Tourmaline
Opal Mohs 5 to 6.5 · Tourmaline Mohs 7 to 7.5 · Two voices, one month
The stone
October carries two stones with very different voices. Opal is hydrated silica that holds up to twenty percent water within its structure. Light diffracts through microscopic silica spheres stacked in orderly arrays and becomes the famous play of colour. Opal rates 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, so gentle wear suits it best. Tourmaline grows in nearly every hue. Its pink variety ranges from soft blush to deep rose. Pink tourmaline rates 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale and suits everyday wear.
The tradition
Opal took its name from the Sanskrit upala, precious stone. The word became opalus in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder saw in its colours the living fire of ruby. Europeans long linked opal with purity, hope and truth. Tourmaline takes its name from the Sinhalese toramalli, stone with mixed colours, because one crystal often holds several colours at once. Pink and red tourmaline passed for ruby in royal treasuries for centuries. Caesar's Ruby, a famous stone of the Russian crown jewels, turned out to be red tourmaline. To us October gives creativity itself, in stones that shift with the light.
The choice
Opal keeps its radiance with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Steam and ultrasonic cleaners suit sturdier gems. Ask after an opal's type and origin. Black opal from Lightning Ridge and boulder opal from Queensland carry different characters and different prices. Pink tourmaline offers a simpler path. Colour leads. A vivid and even pink with a clear face takes the prize. Teraju builds its October curation on pink tourmaline for exactly this reason. The stone carries opal's romance and adds the durability of everyday wear.
Featured at Teraju: the Dew Pendant pairs pink tourmaline, the October stone, with a natural diamond halo in real gold.
Shop October · Pink Tourmaline →
No. 11 · November — Citrine
Mohs 7 · Golden quartz · Stored sunlight
The stone
Citrine is golden quartz, a transparent yellow to brownish orange that runs from soft lemon to warm amber. Citrine rates 7 on the Mohs scale and shows good toughness. The crystals arrive in a broad range of sizes, so a striking citrine piece sits within easier reach than most fine stones. November also honours topaz, including the prized imperial topaz in a distinctly pinkish orange. Topaz rates 8 on the Mohs scale and asks for a gentle hand.
The tradition
Citrine has been worn for millennia. People once confused it with topaz and credited it with the same powers, calming the wearer and soothing tempers. Victorian Scottish jewellery made it a favourite. The name echoes the French word for lemon. The stone still feels like stored sunlight in the year's darkest stretch.
The choice
Most citrine begins life as amethyst. Heat turns the violet to gold. The change is permanent. Natural yellow quartz is rare, which is why heating is the usual source. A good jeweller will gladly tell you which stone you hold. Colour guides the value: a rich and even golden amber leads the field.
No. 12 · December — Blue Topaz
Mohs 8 · Topaz family · Sky in winter light
The stone
Blue topaz is topaz in blue. Its colour runs from the palest sky blue through Swiss blue to the deeper London blue. Topaz rates 8 on the Mohs scale. That hardness serves daily wear well, and topaz carries perfect cleavage, so a ring rewards a mindful hand. Faceted stones show a bright and open face that returns light with quiet clarity.
The tradition
Tradition links blue topaz with calm and clear expression. Its blue recalls a wide winter sky and words offered with care. Other December lists also name turquoise, tanzanite and zircon. Teraju keeps blue topaz at the heart of December, a stone the colour of deep breath and open sky.
The choice
Most blue topaz in the market begins as colourless topaz. Irradiation followed by gentle heat brings the blue, and the colour holds stable across a lifetime. Reputable sellers disclose the treatment openly. Judge a stone by even colour first, then clarity and cut, because cut returns the light that gives blue topaz its bright and open face.
A birthstone marks a chapter of a life. A marker of that depth already carries great weight.
How to choose yours
Three honest paths lead to the right stone. Each one deserves your trust.
By month
Your own month, or the month of the woman you honour, gives the classic gift: a stone that tradition assigned long ago. She will retell its story every time someone admires the piece.
By the stone itself
Read the guide once more. Notice the stone your eyes keep returning to. Readers choose a stone for reasons the heart already knows.
By the chapter
Choose a stone whose heritage speaks to a beginning or a turning: emerald for renewal, sapphire for faithfulness, aquamarine for a safe passage, blue topaz for clarity. This is The Art of Remembrance as Teraju practices it. The stone marks the moment. You supply the meaning.
Why Teraju works the way it does
Hands at the bench file each piece slowly while the workshop keeps its quiet counsel.
Nature shaped every stone in this guide with patience. The minerals formed across millions of years and the pearl grew inside its mollusc across seasons. We hold that patience with reverence. Our choices follow from it. Teraju sets its stones in real gold. We choose natural stones exclusively, each one selected for a specific person. Our Personal Curations service extends that search further still: we look stone by stone until the right piece finds its person.
A birthstone is a small and permanent sentence in the story of a life. Choose its words with care.
Born From The Earth, Worn By The Heart
Teraju · The Art of Remembrance
Photographs: Maison Teraju.