BirthstoneNecklaces

The list most jewelers use in the United States runs like this: January is garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl or alexandrite, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October opal or pink tourmaline, November citrine or blue topaz, and December turquoise, blue zircon or blue topaz. Several months carry more than one stone, which is a gift to you as the buyer: if someone finds opal too unpredictable, October also gives you pink tourmaline, and a June baby who already owns pearls might prefer the color-changing alexandrite. This collection stocks a natural or lab-grown option for every month on that calendar.

Start with the birth month, then match the design to the person. Someone who keeps their jewelry plain will get more wear out of a single-stone solitaire, while a birthday that calls for a little ceremony suits a diamond-halo pendant, where a ring of small natural diamonds lifts the color. Think about metal too. Warm skin and gold-heavy wardrobes lean yellow gold, cooler tones and silver jewelry lean white gold, and rose gold flatters almost everyone while reading a touch softer. When in doubt, a solitaire in white gold is the safest gift in the collection, because it goes with everything already in the box.

Every stone is real. Most are natural gems pulled from the ground, including the garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, peridot, sapphire, opal, citrine, topaz and zircon. A few, namely the emerald, ruby and alexandrite, are lab-grown, which means the identical mineral grown in controlled conditions rather than mined. A lab-grown emerald is chemically and optically an emerald, just cleaner and greener than most mined stones at the same price, and it sidesteps the questions that come with emerald mining. Both natural and lab-grown are genuine gemstones. Neither is glass or an imitation, and each product page names exactly which stone you are getting.

Most pieces here fall between 16 and 18 inches, and the two lengths wear differently. A 16 inch necklace sits high near the base of the throat and shows well above a collar or an open neckline. An 18 inch necklace, the more popular of the two, drops just below the collarbone and works with nearly any outfit. Several designs adjust between the two so the wearer can choose. If the person likes to layer, a shorter birthstone pendant over a longer gold chain is an easy, current look, and a small solitaire is the simplest of all to stack with other necklaces they already own.

Most of them, yes. The harder stones like sapphire, ruby and diamond shrug off daily wear and can stay on through showers and workouts without much thought. Softer or more delicate stones, opal and pearl in particular, prefer a gentler life: keep them away from perfume, hairspray and hard knocks, and they will stay beautiful for decades. The solid gold and platinum settings themselves are built for constant wear. As a rule, a solitaire or a bezel-set design handles everyday use best, while a diamond-halo piece with a soft center stone is happier as an occasion necklace.

Because the collection is organized by stone, it is easy to build a set. Many of the same gems appear as earrings and rings elsewhere in the shop, so a September baby can have the sapphire necklace with matching sapphire studs, for instance. Parents and grandparents often buy one birthstone necklace per child or grandchild, either as separate gifts across the year or worn together as a small stack of birth months. Each piece ships on its own, so you can add to a set over time rather than all at once, and the solid metal means they will match in quality even years apart.

Three things move the price: the metal, the stone and the diamonds. Solid gold and platinum cost what they cost by weight, so a platinum setting sits above the same design in 14K gold. Among the stones, ruby, sapphire and fine emerald run higher than garnet, amethyst, citrine or blue topaz, which is why the January and February pieces come in gentler than the July and September ones. Adding a halo or accent of natural diamonds raises the price over a plain solitaire. Every piece here ships with free standard shipping, and free two-day express over 250 dollars, so the number on the page is the number you pay.