Birthstones by Month August: Peridot, Spinel, Sardonyx

Birthstones by month August charts surprise people, because this month has three official stones instead of one. Peridot is the modern headliner, spinel is the newest addition, and sardonyx is the oldest of the trio, with roots in centuries-old lists. Each one looks different, carries its own traditions and suits a different kind of wearer. That is good news if you were born in August and never warmed to lime green.

This guide covers all three. You will find how they came to share the month, what each looks like, what crystal traditions believe about them, how people wear and use them, and how to keep them in good condition. Near the end there is a full chart showing how August sits beside the other eleven months.

Birthstones by Month August at a Glance

Before the detail, here is a quick summary. Current American birthstones by month August entries name three stones, and British charts name two of them. The table compares their place in the lists, their usual appearance and the qualities folklore and modern crystal traditions link to them.

If someone asks you for “the” August birthstone, peridot is the usual answer. Still, the birthstones by month August list is not a ranking. Spinel and sardonyx are just as official, and many people choose them precisely because they want something other than green. If you are building a set of stones for the whole family, our overview of what the birthstones by month are puts every month in one place.

Why Does August Have Three Birthstones?

The short answer is that the birthstones by month August entry grew over time and nothing was ever taken away. The longer answer is a good illustration of how birthstone lists in general came about.

The ancient roots

The idea of linking gemstones to months goes back to the first century. The historian Josephus connected the twelve stones on the high priest’s breastplate, described in the Book of Exodus, with the twelve months and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Later Christian writers linked twelve stones with the foundations of the New Jerusalem and with the apostles. For a long time the custom was to own all twelve and wear a different one each month.

Wearing a single stone for your own birth month is a much younger habit, only a few centuries old. Historians disagree about where it began, with suggestions ranging from sixteenth-century Germany to eighteenth-century Poland. Before the modern lists, August was linked with sardonyx and, in various sources, with carnelian, moonstone and topaz.

The modern lists

In August 1912, American jewelers met in Kansas City to agree on a single standard list. For August, they chose sardonyx and peridot. Britain created its own standard list in 1937, and the current British version names peridot and sardonyx. In 2016, American jewelry trade groups added spinel, and that is how the birthstones by month August lineup reached three stones.

It is worth being clear about what these lists are. They are agreements made by the jewelry trade, shaped by taste, fashion and translations that have drifted a long way from their biblical sources. Some historians openly regard the 1912 list as more marketing than tradition. That does not make birthstones less meaningful to the people who wear them. It simply means you are free to treat August’s three stones as a menu rather than a rule. Our editorial approach explains how we handle tradition and fact side by side.

Other traditions

Not every culture links stones to months. Hindu tradition links nine gems, the Navaratna, to celestial bodies, and an astrologer chooses stones from a person’s birth chart rather than from the calendar. If you come from that tradition, your recommended stone may have nothing to do with August at all.

Peridot: August’s Modern Green Stone

In any birthstones by month August chart, peridot is the stone that sums the month up in a single color: that fresh, unmistakable green.

What it looks like

Peridot is a transparent green gem. Its shade runs from a bright, yellowish lime to a deeper olive, and it tends to look lively even in small sizes. Unlike many gems, it is known for green and almost nothing else, which is why it is so closely tied to the month. You will see it faceted (cut with flat, polished surfaces that catch light) in rings and earrings. It also appears tumbled, meaning rolled with grit into smooth, rounded pebbles, and raw, meaning left in its natural, unpolished form.

Meaning in crystal traditions

Peridot has a sunny reputation. In folklore and modern crystal practice, it is associated with light, warmth and optimism, and with protection from gloom or bad dreams. Many people link it to renewal and to letting go of old resentments, an idea that fits its fresh, spring-leaf color. In chakra traditions, it is commonly placed at the heart. A chakra is one of seven energy centers that some spiritual traditions describe along the body, and green stones are customarily linked with the heart center. These are beliefs and symbols, not proven effects, and they are best enjoyed in that spirit.

How people use it

• Jewelry: pendants and earrings are popular because they get fewer knocks than rings.
• Carrying: a small tumbled piece in a pocket as a reminder of a hopeful intention.
• Meditation: held in the palm or rested near the heart during a quiet few minutes, as a personal ritual many people find calming.
• At home: placed on a sunny windowsill or a desk, where its color reads as cheerful.

Peridot and spinel both belong with the stones in our Earth treasures section of the library.

Spinel: The Newest August Birthstone

Spinel’s addition in 2016 changed the birthstones by month August conversation: suddenly there was a stone for people who love red and pink as much as green.

What it looks like

In birthstone jewelry, spinel most often appears in vivid reds and soft to hot pinks, and it comes in other shades as well. It is usually faceted and has a crisp, bright sparkle. Historically, red spinel was often mistaken for ruby, which is part of why it has spent so long in the shadows. It now has a following of its own among collectors who like a stone that is well known within the trade but less familiar to the general public.

Meaning in crystal traditions

Because it is a recent birthstone, spinel has fewer layers of month-specific lore than sardonyx. In modern crystal practice, it is associated with vitality, renewed energy and fresh beginnings. People who use it this way often describe it as a stone for picking yourself up after a hard stretch. Red spinel is linked by some practitioners with the root chakra, the energy center traditionally placed at the base of the spine, and pink spinel with the heart.

How people use it

• Jewelry: the most common way to wear it, especially in rings, where its sparkle shows best.
• Pairing: combined with peridot in one piece for a red-and-green August design.
• Intention setting: worn or held at the start of a new project, as a personal marker of a fresh start.

One trade-off is that spinel is less often sold as tumbled or raw pieces than peridot or sardonyx, so it is mainly a jewelry choice.

Sardonyx: The Original August Stone

If you like the idea of continuity, sardonyx is the stone with the longest history in the month. It appears on the oldest birthstones by month August lists and has stayed on the official ones ever since.

What it looks like

Sardonyx is opaque and banded, with layers of warm reddish-brown alternating with white or cream. Those contrasting layers are why it has been carved for so long. A carver can cut through one color to reveal the other, which makes it a classic material for cameos and seal stones. It also appears as polished cabochons (smooth, domed stones with no facets), beads and tumbled pebbles. Its banded look is close in spirit to the onyx and agate in our Quartz & family section.

Meaning in crystal traditions

Sardonyx carries an older, steadier symbolism than its two companions. Folklore links it with courage, eloquence and protection, and modern crystal practice adds stability in relationships and self-control. Its layered structure lends itself to the idea of building strength in steady stages. Many people see it as the most grounded of the three August stones, and some link it with the root and sacral chakras because of its earthy colors.

How people use it

• Jewelry: signet rings, cameos and beaded bracelets, often with a vintage feel.
• Carrying: a tumbled piece kept as a quiet protective token, a custom that echoes older traditions.
• At home: placed near an entrance or a shared table by people who follow protective placement customs. Our guide to crystals for protection and good luck covers similar stones.

How to Choose an August Birthstone

With three stones on the birthstones by month August list, choosing is the fun part. These are the questions worth asking.

1. Which color will they actually wear? Someone with a mostly neutral wardrobe may love sardonyx. Someone who wears bold colors may prefer spinel. Peridot suits anyone who enjoys bright green.
2. Old or new? Sardonyx connects to the oldest lists, peridot to the twentieth-century standard and spinel to the present day.
3. Which meaning resonates? In crystal traditions, peridot points to optimism, spinel to renewal and sardonyx to courage and steadiness.
4. How will it be worn? A daily-wear ring takes more knocks than a pendant. Ask a jeweler how the stone holds up to everyday wear before buying a ring for constant use. Gem toughness is often described with Mohs hardness, a scale that ranks minerals by how easily they scratch.
5. Jewelry or loose stone? For meditation or a desk piece, a tumbled or raw stone is often more practical than a set gem.

A worked example

Say you are buying a gift for a friend born on 23 August. She wears mostly black and grey, works with her hands and loves vintage things. Peridot is the obvious pick, but a ring would take a beating at work, and green may not match her style. Sardonyx fits her taste and its long history, and a pendant keeps it out of harm’s way. To add a personal layer, note that 23 August is usually counted as the first day of Virgo, whose traditional zodiac stone is carnelian. A small tumbled carnelian tucked into the gift box ties the month and the sign together. If you would like to add a loose crystal like that, Spirit Magicka is the journal’s own crystal shop.

Leo, Virgo and August

August spans two zodiac signs. Leo runs from about 23 July to 22 August, and its traditional stone is onyx. Virgo begins around 23 August, with carnelian as its traditional stone. Zodiac stones and month stones are separate systems, so a Leo born in August can happily wear peridot, onyx or both. Sardonyx, with its onyx-like bands, makes a neat bridge between the two.

Common mistakes

• Assuming peridot is the only option. All three stones are equally official.
• Mixing up spinel and ruby. They can look similar, so ask for clear identification when you buy.
• Treating zodiac stones and birthstones as the same list. They overlap only by chance.
• Buying on meaning alone. A stone that sits in a drawer carries no meaning at all. Choose one the person will enjoy wearing.

How to Care for August Birthstones

All three stones in the birthstones by month August set respond well to simple, gentle care. A few habits keep them bright.

• Clean softly. Use lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap and a soft cloth or very soft brush, then rinse and dry well. Leave porous or treated pieces, and anything glued into a setting, to a jeweler.
• Skip harsh chemicals. Remove jewelry before using household cleaners, bleach or pool water, and before applying lotions or perfume.
• Ask before ultrasonic or steam cleaning. Some gems and many settings do not tolerate them. A jeweler can tell you what your piece can handle.
• Avoid sudden temperature changes. Don’t move a stone straight from heat to cold water.
• Store separately. Keep each piece in its own pouch or compartment so harder stones cannot scratch softer ones.
• Take rings off for rough work. Gardening, the gym and heavy lifting are hard on any setting.

Many people also like to “cleanse” crystals energetically, a spiritual practice rather than a physical cleaning. Gentle methods such as moonlight, a few moments of smoke from a dried herb in a ventilated room, or resting the stone on a quartz cluster are common choices. A cluster is a group of crystals grown together on a shared base. If you prefer a sound or intention-based ritual, that works just as well and needs no special equipment.

How August Compares With the Other Months

Set the birthstones by month August entry beside the rest of the calendar and it stands out alongside June and December, the other months with three stones on the current American list. Here is the full modern American chart, with notes on the older choices for some months.

A pattern stands out. Months with expensive or limited classic stones tend to gain alternatives over time, and older lists were far more varied than modern ones. The birthstones by month August story follows the same path as June and December: an old stone, a twentieth-century favorite and a recent addition sitting side by side.

For the stories behind neighboring months, see our guides to June’s pearl, moonstone and alexandrite, September’s sapphire and lapis, March’s aquamarine and bloodstone and February’s amethyst. If you mainly want color for a family ring or a themed gift, our birthstone colors by month chart groups the stones by shade. The fuller history sits in birthstones by each month.

Taken as a whole, the birthstones by month August choices make it one of the most flexible months on the calendar: green, red or banded, ancient or brand new. Whichever you choose, pick the one that feels like the person wearing it. You can read more about every stone mentioned here in the crystal library, and find crystals to keep alongside your birthstone at Spirit Magicka.