Birthstone
Also called birth stone, month stone
A birthstone is a gemstone traditionally associated with a month of the year, worn by people born in that month. Birthstones drive a large share of personalised jewellery sales, since each month gives a seller twelve versions of the same design.
In other words, a stone tied to the month someone was born, used to turn one piece of jewellery into a personal gift.
The modern list
Several months have more than one accepted stone, and lists vary a little between countries. The commonly used modern list is below.
- January: garnet. February: amethyst. March: aquamarine.
- April: diamond. May: emerald. June: pearl, moonstone, or alexandrite.
- July: ruby. August: peridot or spinel. September: sapphire.
- October: opal or tourmaline. November: topaz or citrine. December: turquoise, zircon, or tanzanite.
Twelve colours from one file
This is the case where rendering pays for itself fastest. Photographing twelve stone colours means buying or borrowing twelve stones and setting up twelve shoots. Rendering means one CAD file and twelve material changes.
Colour accuracy is the thing to watch. A rendered emerald has to read as emerald and not as generic green glass, so we set each stone's colour and how much light passes through it separately rather than tinting one stone twelve ways.
How to order a birthstone set
Send the CAD file once and list the stones you want. Each stone variation is treated as its own file at $15, and each comes back as 9 HD images and 3 videos on a white background, in rose, white, and yellow gold.
Standard turnaround is 24 to 48 hours with two rounds of revisions included, so a full twelve month set can be listed inside a week.
Questions about Birthstone
Why do some months have two birthstones?
The lists were assembled over time and revised by trade bodies, often to add a more available or affordable option. June, August, October, November, and December all carry alternatives.
Can you render one design in all twelve birthstones?
Yes. It is one of the most common requests. Send the CAD once and name the stones, and each variation is priced as its own file.