Gemstone reference

Every stone named across the birthstone systems on this site, in one A–Z table — Mohs hardness, color family, and the species/variety relationships that the birthstone traditions themselves often blur (chrysolite is peridot; hyacinth is zircon; aquamarine and emerald are both beryl). Click a name for the full write-up, including which months and zodiac signs list it, under which systems.

Looking for a specific angle instead? See every stone ranked by Mohs hardness, or browse blue, green, and red gemstones by color.

A

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Agate	6.5–7	Multicolor, Gray, Brown	chalcedony	—
Alexandrite	8.5	Green, Red, Multicolor	chrysoberyl	—
Amber	2–2.5	Yellow, Orange, Brown	—	—
Amethyst	7	Purple	quartz	—
Aquamarine	7.5–8	Blue	beryl	—

B

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Beryl	7.5–8	Colorless, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Multicolor	—	—
Black Tourmaline	7–7.5	Black	tourmaline	Schorl
Bloodstone	6.5–7	Green, Multicolor	chalcedony	heliotrope

C

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Carnelian	6.5–7	Orange, Red	chalcedony	—
Cat's Eye	8.5	Yellow, Green, Brown	chrysoberyl	cymophane, chrysoberyl cat's eye
Chrysolite	6.5–7	Green	peridot	peridot, olivine
Chrysoprase	6.5–7	Green	chalcedony	—
Citrine	7	Yellow, Orange	quartz	—
Coral	3–4	Red, Pink, White, Black	—	—

D

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Diamond	10	Colorless	—	—

E

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Emerald	7.5–8	Green	beryl	—

G

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Garnet	6.5–7.5	Red, Orange, Green, Multicolor	—	—

H

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Hematite	5–6.5	Black, Gray, Red	—	—
Hyacinth	6–7.5	Orange, Red	zircon	jacinth

I

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Iolite	7–7.5	Blue, Purple, Gray	cordierite	Cordierite

J

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Jade	6–7	Green, White, Multicolor	—	Jadeite, Nephrite
Jasper	6.5–7	Multicolor, Brown, Red	chalcedony	—
Jet	2.5–4	Black	—	—

K

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Kunzite	6.5–7	Pink, Purple	spodumene	—

L

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Labradorite	6–6.5	Gray, Blue, Multicolor	plagioclase feldspar	—
Lapis Lazuli	5–6	Blue	—	—
Larimar	4.5–5	Blue, White, Multicolor	pectolite	—

M

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Malachite	3.5–4	Green	—	—
Moonstone	6–6.5	White, Colorless, Blue	orthoclase feldspar	—
Morganite	7.5–8	Pink, Orange	beryl	—

O

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Obsidian	5–5.5	Black, Brown, Green, Multicolor	—	—
Onyx	6.5–7	Black, White	chalcedony	—
Opal	5.5–6.5	Multicolor, White, Colorless	—	—

P

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Pearl	2.5–4.5	White, Multicolor	—	—
Peridot	6.5–7	Green	olivine	chrysolite

R

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Rock Crystal	7	Colorless	quartz	—
Ruby	9	Red	corundum	—

S

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Sapphire	9	Blue, Multicolor	corundum	—
Sardonyx	6.5–7	Multicolor, Red, Brown	chalcedony	—
Smoky Quartz	7	Brown, Gray, Black	quartz	—
Spinel	8	Red, Pink, Blue, Multicolor	—	—
Sunstone	6–6.5	Orange, Red, Brown, Green	plagioclase feldspar	Heliolite

T

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Tanzanite	6–7	Blue, Purple	zoisite	—
Tiger's Eye	7	Brown, Yellow, Orange	quartz	—
Topaz	8	Yellow, Blue, Brown, Colorless	—	—
Tourmaline	7–7.5	Multicolor, Green, Pink, Blue	—	—
Turquoise	5–6	Blue, Green	—	—

Z

Stone	Mohs hardness	Color family	Variety of	Also known as
Zircon	6–7.5	Blue, Colorless, Brown, Multicolor	—	—