Birthstone Charm

Every calendar month has an accepted stone. A birthstone charm carries that stone so the piece says January or October without a single letter engraved on it. Such shorthand is what makes these the most gifted charms in the family.

Almost none of the stones are natural, and at this size that is a feature rather than a fault. Synthetic corundum, synthetic spinel and cubic zirconia are grown to exact recipes, so twelve charms bought years apart still agree in tone and clarity, which twelve mined stones would not. Natural versions exist and cost several times more for a gem under 4 mm that nobody examines on a moving wrist. Several months carry more than one accepted stone, and that trips up gift buyers. June appears as pearl, moonstone or alexandrite depending on the list being used. December turns up as turquoise, zircon or tanzanite. Confirm which stone a maker chose before ordering a matching set, or your twelve pieces will disagree with each other.

How the stone is held decides the lifespan. A bezel wraps a rim of metal around the girdle, the widest edge of the stone, and survives a charm knocking its neighbors all day. Prongs show more of the gem and catch on knitwear. Glued cabochons, flat backed stones dropped into a cup of adhesive, are the cheap route and the reason charms arrive with an empty socket. Press every stone with a fingernail before accepting the piece.

Engraved discs state a name where this states a month, so families often run both together. Either idea comes as a dangle or as a threaded bead, which means checking your carrier's system before ordering. A floating locket pushes the same thought further by holding several tiny birthstones loose behind glass.

Order a set together where you can rather than one a year, since color formulas drift between production runs and a February bought now may not match one bought in five years. Store stone set charms so they do not rest against each other, because synthetic corundum is hard enough to scratch silver and softer stones alike.