August Birthstones
at a Glance
August carries more verified stones than any month except December, and it is one of only two months where the traditional birthstone genuinely differs from the modern one. Sardonyx held August for centuries before peridot replaced it in 1912, and it was never dropped — it remains a recognized modern stone and carries the Arabic biblical reading too. Spinel joined the list in July 2016.
Primary (Modern): PERIDOT
Traditional (pre-1912): SARDONYX
Secondary (Modern): Spinel, Sardonyx
Mystical (Tibetan): Diamond
Ayurvedic: Sapphire
Hindu: Ruby
Historical (Hebrew): Carnelian
Historical (Arabic): Sardonyx
Zodiac Signs for August
Leo (July 23 – August 22) and Virgo (August 23 – September 22).
Our Birthstone Picks based on Zodiac
Leo — Ruby
Ruby is August's Hindu birthstone, and our records list Leo among its signs. That combination — a verified August assignment that also matches the sign — is what makes it our Leo pick over peridot.
Ruby is the Stone of Nobility, and Leo is ruled by the sun. Working through the Root and Solar Plexus chakras, it stirs the blood, promotes vitality, and builds self-confidence from the body rather than from reassurance.
That Root grounding is what distinguishes it from other fire stones and what Leo specifically needs. The sign's confidence is genuine but frequently contingent, sustained by an audience and dimmed when the audience looks elsewhere. Ruby's warmth is generated internally.
Its other quality is the fiercest and most faithful kind of love — the thing Leo undersells in itself. Beneath the performance, this is the most loyal sign in the zodiac, and ruby is the stone that treats that loyalty as the main event rather than the footnote.
Virgo — Peridot
Virgo notices everything, including every way in which it has fallen short. The sign's precision is real and valuable, and it is turned inward far more often than outward — which is why the most useful stone for Virgo is not one that sharpens discernment but one that loosens its grip. Our records list Virgo first among peridot's signs.
Peridot is the stone of light that works from the inside out. Its specific action is the release of guilt, regret and the sense of karmic debt that keeps people tethered to things they have already atoned for. There is no more precisely Virgo affliction than that.
Working through the Heart and Solar Plexus chakras together, it pairs emotional release with the personal will to act on it, so what follows is not just relief but movement. It empowers people to take responsibility for their lives without confusing responsibility for self-punishment.
All Stones of August
Peridot
Primary (Modern)
Peridot became August's modern birthstone in 1912 and has defined the month since. Always green but variable in tone, it was mined in ancient Egypt on the Red Sea island of Zabargad and called the gem of the sun.
For those born in August, it works through the Heart and Solar Plexus chakras at once — a combination that addresses feeling and will in the same motion. Its defining action is the quieting of guilt, regret and the sense of unpaid karmic debt: the specific spiritual fears that keep people fastened to a past they cannot change.
What follows that release is the more useful half. Peridot empowers people to take genuine responsibility for their own lives, which is a different thing entirely from carrying blame for them.
August-born people arrive at the peak of summer, in a month that expects fullness and ease. Peridot suits that expectation by clearing what stands in its way — renewal, vitality and spiritual growth, worked from the inside out.
Sardonyx
Traditional, Secondary and Historical
Sardonyx carries three of August's tiers: the traditional birthstone, a recognized modern secondary, and the Arabic biblical reading. Banded brown and orange, it was carved into seals and amulets throughout antiquity, and when peridot took the month in 1912 it was retained rather than replaced.
For August-born people, its emphasis is relationships. Sardonyx was worn as a talisman for stable partnerships and honest dealings, and it carries a long association with happiness — specifically, the kind of optimistic living that persists through difficult circumstances rather than waiting politely for them to resolve.
That distinction is what makes it more than a pleasant stone. Working through the Root and Solar Plexus chakras, it pairs protection with strength of character, supporting the steadiness required to keep faith with people over years.
August is the most social month of the year and the one that most tests the difference between company and connection. For durable relationships rather than merely abundant ones, sardonyx has three thousand years of testimony behind it.
Spinel
Secondary (Modern)
Spinel is August's newest birthstone, added in July 2016 by the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America jointly, and it addresses something the month's other stones do not: exhaustion.
It is a stone of revitalization — the crystal equivalent of a genuine second wind. It restores passion, courage and determination to those depleted by extended effort, by illness, or by the kind of sustained difficulty that grinds energy down gradually rather than all at once. That gradual erosion is the hardest sort to name and the hardest to justify resting from.
Working through the Root and Solar Plexus chakras, it rebuilds from the base rather than supplying a surface lift, which is why it suits recovery rather than merely fatigue.
For August-born people the timing is apt. August is the end of a long stretch, the point where whatever pace was set in January has either held or quietly stopped holding. Spinel is the stone for beginning again without having to start over.
Diamond
Mystical (Tibetan)
The Tibetan mystical list, dating to at least 1000 CE, gives August to diamond — the hardest natural substance known, assigned to the year's most demanding month.
Its defining property is amplification. Diamond magnifies whatever it touches, including the vibrations of other crystals, which makes it a stone that responds to how it is used. Held with a clear intention it strengthens clarity, focus and spiritual connection; held carelessly it magnifies whatever is already loudest.
Working through the Crown and Third Eye chakras, it is also a stone of purity and of enduring commitment.
For August-born people, that amplifying quality suits a month already running at full volume. August does not need more energy. What it needs is direction for the energy it has, and diamond rewards anyone willing to decide what they are actually pursuing before the season carries them along regardless.
Strength, clarity and commitment, from the tradition that matched the hardest stone to the fullest month.
Sapphire
Ayurvedic
The Ayurvedic list, dating to around 1500 BCE, assigns August to sapphire — and like the Hindu and Tibetan choices, it points away from peridot's green entirely.
Sapphire is the Stone of Wisdom, worn by royalty, scholars and clergy as a symbol of honest judgement and divine favor. It works through the Throat and Third Eye chakras, joining insight to expression.
Its relevance to August is the same corrective the Hindu list applies to July. Late summer is the point in the year when momentum is highest and reflection lowest, and decisions made in August tend to be decisions made quickly. Sapphire is the stone of taking them well.
Our records also list Virgo among its signs, which makes it a natural second stone for August's Virgo half.
Integrity, discernment and spiritual insight — the qualities the Ayurvedic tradition considered most worth carrying through the year's fullest month.
Carnelian
Historical (Hebrew)
The Hebrew biblical reading assigns August to carnelian, where the Arabic reading gives sardonyx. The two are closely related — both varieties of chalcedony, distinguished chiefly by banding — so the disagreement is narrower than it first appears.
Carnelian has protected and inspired warriors, artists and leaders throughout recorded history. Working through the Sacral and Root chakras, it is fiercely energizing: restoring lost vitality, stimulating creativity, and anchoring you in the present moment when life feels scattered.
Its signature quality is that it overcomes procrastination — not by generating enthusiasm but by shortening the distance between intending something and beginning it.
For August-born people, that suits the month's real hazard. August offers abundant energy and abundant distraction, and the season can consume itself entirely without producing much.
Motivation, courage and endurance: the oldest tradition's answer to a month that is easy to enjoy and hard to use.
A Note on Sources
Every stone above comes from a documented birthstone list. The modern assignment derives from the 1912 National Association of Jewelers list as amended, confirmed by the GIA and the American Gem Society; spinel was added in July 2016 by AGTA and Jewelers of America. The traditional assignment comes from the Polish list of the 16th to 18th centuries. The Mystical list is Tibetan and dates to at least 1000 CE; the Ayurvedic and Hindu lists originate in the Indus Valley around 1500 BCE. The Hebrew and Arabic assignments derive from readings of the Breastplate of Aaron following Josephus in the first century CE.
August is the clearest example of how little the traditions agree. Six different stones across seven lists, with only sardonyx appearing more than once. We record each tradition as a tradition, not as established fact.
Disclaimer: The metaphysical properties of crystals are based on historical traditions and personal beliefs and are intended to support mindfulness and intentional living. They are not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice.
