The Birthstones by Month: March's Aquamarine and Bloodstone

Read down any modern list of birthstones by month, March stands out as one of the few months that hands you a genuine choice: aquamarine, the pale blue of a shallow sea, or bloodstone, a deep green stone freckled with red. One is clear and luminous, the other opaque and earthy. Together they tell a surprisingly human story about how traditions drift, how jewelers tidied up old lore, and why a month can end up with two stones that look nothing alike.

This article walks through both stones in turn: what they look like, what crystal traditions say about them, how people wear and use them, and how to look after them. Then it looks at the history behind the list, where March sits among the other months, and how to pick the stone that suits you or the person you are buying for.

What Are the March Birthstones?

A birthstone is a gemstone linked to a person’s birth period, almost always the month. People usually wear it as jewelry, often a ring or a pendant, though plenty of crystal lovers simply keep a tumbled or raw piece on a shelf or desk. (A tumbled stone has been rolled in a barrel with grit until it is smooth and rounded; a raw stone is left as it came out of the ground.)

For March the current answer, on both the main American and British lists, is:

• Aquamarine: a transparent gem in soft blue to blue-green shades, usually faceted to catch the light.
• Bloodstone: an opaque dark green stone with spots of red, usually polished smooth or carved.

Older lists that cover the fifteenth to the twentieth century give March bloodstone and jasper, with no aquamarine at all. So when someone asks about a third March birthstone, jasper is the historically grounded answer. Both bloodstone and jasper belong with the quartz relatives, so you will find them in the Quartz & family section of the library, alongside agate, carnelian and onyx.

In short, across the old and new lists of birthstones by month, March has shifted from bloodstone alone, to bloodstone with aquamarine, to aquamarine with bloodstone. Neither stone is the “fake” one. They come from different chapters of the same tradition.

Aquamarine: The Modern March Birthstone

Aquamarine is the stone most people now picture when they think of March. Its name comes from Latin words meaning “sea water”, and the colour lives up to it: anything from a barely tinted ice blue to a clearer, deeper blue with a hint of green. The best-loved pieces are transparent and evenly coloured, so the gem looks like a drop of cold, still water when it is faceted (cut with flat, angled surfaces that reflect light back to the eye).

Traditional meanings

Because of its colour and name, aquamarine has gathered a body of sea-related folklore. In crystal traditions it is often described as a stone for sailors and travellers, believed to offer safe passage and a calm voyage. Modern crystal practice extends that idea inward: many people use aquamarine as a symbol of calm, clear communication and emotional steadiness, a reminder to speak honestly and let things flow rather than force them.

In chakra work, aquamarine is usually linked with the throat chakra. Chakras are energy centres described in yogic and later New Age traditions, running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head; the throat chakra is traditionally associated with expression and truthful speech. These are beliefs and symbolic associations, valued for the reflection they invite rather than for any proven effect.

How people use aquamarine

• Jewelry: faceted aquamarine is a classic choice for March birthday rings, pendants and earrings, and its soft colour pairs well with both silver and gold.
• Meditation: some people hold a small tumbled aquamarine or rest it near the throat during a quiet breathing practice, using the cool colour as a focus for slowing down.
• Carrying: a smooth piece in a pocket or travel bag nods to the old sailors’ lore and makes a gentle keepsake for a journey.
• At home: a raw aquamarine crystal near a window looks lovely when daylight passes through it.

Aquamarine sits outside the quartz and moonstone groups, so it lives in the Earth treasures section of the library, which gathers every crystal and mineral beyond those two families.

Bloodstone: The Original March Birthstone

Bloodstone looks almost like the opposite of aquamarine. It is opaque rather than clear, and its colour is a deep forest or spinach green scattered with spots and flecks of red. The red is what gives the stone its name, and it is worth knowing that a good bloodstone is mostly green: buyers sometimes expect a red stone and are surprised. Bloodstone is typically cut into smooth domes called cabochons, polished into beads, or carved into seals, cameos and small figures.

Traditional meanings

Bloodstone carries some of the oldest and most dramatic lore of any stone on the lists of birthstones by month. March’s older gem was the subject of a well-known Christian legend: drops of Christ’s blood fell on green stone at the crucifixion and became the red spots, which is why the stone was popular for religious carvings in medieval Europe. Older lapidaries (books describing the virtues of stones) credited it with a range of protective powers, and soldiers were said to carry it for courage.

In modern crystal traditions bloodstone is believed to support courage, endurance and a grounded sense of strength. Many people use it when they want to feel steady and brave in the face of a challenge. It is often linked with the root chakra, associated with stability and feeling rooted, and sometimes with the heart chakra because of its green colour. Its long history as a symbol of vitality is exactly that: symbolism and folklore, not a health claim.

Bloodstone also turns up in the old zodiac lists as the stone for Aries, the sign that begins on 21 March. That makes it a natural fit for people born late in the month. The library’s piece on crystals for protection and good luck explores the wider idea of stones carried as talismans.

How people use bloodstone

• Jewelry: signet rings, cufflinks and bead bracelets suit bloodstone’s sturdy, earthy look, and it is a popular March choice for people who prefer understated jewelry.
• Carrying: a tumbled piece kept in a pocket is a traditional way to keep its symbolism of courage close, before an exam, a hard conversation or a long day.
• Meditation: some people hold bloodstone while focusing on the feeling of their feet on the floor, using it as a grounding anchor.
• At home: a polished stone or carved piece on a desk or entry table brings a deep green accent that works well with wood and natural materials.

If you are starting a small birthstone collection and want somewhere to begin browsing crystals, Spirit Magicka is the journal’s own crystal shop.

Why Does March Have Two Birthstones?

The short answer is that the list changed and both stones kept their seat. The longer answer goes back nearly two thousand years.

From the breastplate to a stone for every month

The first-century historian Josephus linked the twelve stones of the high priest’s breastplate in the Book of Exodus with the twelve months and the twelve signs of the zodiac. Translating those ancient stone names has always been difficult, and Josephus himself gave two different lists. Later, St. Jerome suggested that the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation would suit Christians, and by the eighth and ninth centuries religious writers were pairing stones with apostles. A custom grew of owning all twelve stones and wearing one each month.

Wearing a single stone for your own birth month is much younger, only a few centuries old. Authorities disagree on where it began: one long-standing account places it in eighteenth-century Poland, while another traces it to Germany in the 1560s. Either way, modern lists have drifted a long way from the breastplate, shaped by fashion, trade and uncertain translations.

How the March entry changed

Here is how the main lists of birthstones by month, March in particular, have changed over time:

In August 1912 a national association of American jewelers met in Kansas City to standardize birthstones, partly to settle the confusion of competing lists. They kept bloodstone as March’s main gem and added aquamarine. In 1952 an industry council revised the list, adding stones to several months and switching March’s primary and alternative gems, which is when aquamarine moved to the front. Britain’s goldsmiths had published their own standardized list in 1937, and Britain’s modern list matches the American one for March.

Not everyone welcomed the trade’s involvement; one writer dismissed the 1912 list as little more than salesmanship. That is worth keeping in mind. The modern chart is a mix of genuine old lore and twentieth-century marketing, and you are free to follow whichever layer speaks to you. The journal’s editorial approach explains how we handle traditions like this.

It is also not the only system. Hindu tradition links gems to celestial bodies rather than months, through the nine gems of the Navaratna chosen from a person’s birth chart, and Japanese industry groups added ten new birthstones to their own list in 2021.

Birthstones by Month: March in the Full Chart

Seeing March beside its neighbours helps explain the choices. The secondary stones show how often a month carries a second, older or more affordable option.

Two curiosities stand out. Aquamarine appeared on the older lists for October, alongside opal, before it settled in March. And bloodstone once appeared for December too, paired with ruby. Stones have moved around the calendar more than most people expect.

For the whole year in more depth, see What Are the Birthstones by Month?, the history-focused Birthstones by Each Month, and the colour guides Colors for Birthstones by Month and Birthstones Colours by Month. June, the other month with a long list of options, has its own piece: June’s pearl, moonstone and alexandrite.

How to Choose and Use a March Birthstone

Because the standard lists of birthstones by month, March included, give you two equally official stones, the choice comes down to look, lifestyle and meaning. Here is a simple way to decide.

1. Start with colour. Do you, or the person you are buying for, wear cool blues and silver? Aquamarine will sit naturally. Prefer greens, warm metals, wood and earthy tones? Bloodstone often feels more at home.
2. Think about style. Aquamarine is about sparkle and transparency, so it shines in faceted rings and drop earrings. Bloodstone is about surface and pattern, so it suits cabochons, beads and carved pieces.
3. Consider wear. Mohs hardness is a 1-to-10 scale of how well a mineral resists scratching. Ask your jeweler how the specific stone and setting will hold up for daily wear, especially for a ring that will knock against desks and door handles. You can read how the scale works in the library’s piece on emerald hardness.
4. Choose the meaning that resonates. Aquamarine’s traditions centre on calm, clarity and safe travel. Bloodstone’s centre on courage, endurance and grounding.
5. Check the zodiac. March is split between two signs in the traditional lists: Pisces (19 February to 20 March), whose stone is amethyst, and Aries (21 March to 19 April), whose stone is bloodstone. The library’s crystals by zodiac guide covers every sign.

A worked example

Say you are choosing a gift for a friend born on 28 March. She wears mostly silver, loves the coast, and is about to start a demanding new job. Aquamarine fits her jewelry and her love of the sea. Bloodstone, though, is her zodiac stone as an Aries and carries a tradition of courage that suits a new challenge. One thoughtful solution: an aquamarine pendant for everyday wear, plus a small tumbled bloodstone to keep in her bag on the first day at work. She gets both March stones, each doing a different job.

For a friend born on 10 March, a Pisces, you might instead pair aquamarine with a piece of amethyst, joining the birth month and the zodiac sign in two shades of cool colour. You can browse the crystal library for other stones that suit a person’s personality.

Common mistakes

• Thinking there is one “correct” stone. Both are official. Choosing bloodstone is not choosing the backup.
• Expecting bloodstone to be red. It is a green stone with red spots.
• Assuming every pale blue stone is aquamarine. Glass and other blue gems can look similar. For a valuable piece, ask for a gem identification report. The library’s crystal glass identification chart covers simple first checks.
• Ignoring the setting. A beautiful stone in a weak or high-profile setting is more likely to be knocked loose or chipped.

Caring for Aquamarine and Bloodstone

Good care is mostly common sense, and it keeps both March birthstones looking their best for decades.

Everyday care

• Take rings off for rough work. Gardening, gym sessions, cleaning and moving furniture are the moments when gems get chipped or scratched.
• Store pieces separately. A soft pouch or a compartment of its own stops stones rubbing against each other and against metal.
• Put jewelry on last. Lotions, perfume and hairspray can leave a film that dulls the shine of a faceted aquamarine.
• Keep away from harsh chemicals. Bleach and strong household cleaners are hard on stones and on metal settings alike.

Cleaning

For set jewelry, a gentle approach is the safest default: lukewarm water with a drop of mild soap, a soft brush around the setting, a quick rinse and a dry with a lint-free cloth. Before using an ultrasonic or steam cleaner, ask your jeweler, because treated stones, stones with internal fractures and some settings may not tolerate it. Bloodstone has a polished surface that shows its best with a simple wipe and a soft cloth.

Energetic cleansing

Many people who work with crystals also like to “cleanse” a stone now and then, a ritual meant to refresh its energy. Gentle options include leaving the stone in moonlight, passing it through the sound of a bell or singing bowl, or setting it on a larger crystal overnight. These are personal practices, chosen for how they feel rather than for any measurable result. If you want more ideas, the library’s first steps with crystals covers simple rituals.

One safety note that applies to every stone: do not make crystal elixirs. Never soak a birthstone in water you plan to drink, and never drink from a glass or bottle a stone has been sitting in, whatever the stone is. Keep small tumbled stones and loose beads out of reach of young children and pets, who can swallow them. Birthstones are for wearing and admiring, not for eating or drinking.

Whichever you choose, among the birthstones by month, March offers two very different ways to mark the turn from winter to spring: one the colour of meltwater and open sky, the other the colour of new leaves with a spark of red. If you would like to explore crystals for your own collection, Spirit Magicka is the journal’s own crystal shop, and the crystal library has hundreds of stones to read about while you decide.