Tumbled stone jewelry makes a wonderful gift (for others or even for yourself!), especially if put a little extra effort into picking out stones that “fit”—in this case, zodiac sign stones!
You’re probably already familiar with birthstones: gems that correspond with the specific month of your birthday. Zodiac sign stones are a little more flexible and are somewhat up to your personal interpretation.
First, a bit about birthstones:
Who Decides What Makes the Birthstone List?
While the modern list was created by Jewelers of America, birthstones go back to the Breastplate of Aaron, a religious garment with twelve gemstones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The connection between this and our modern-day birthstones is a speculative one, born from the idea that there was a connection between the twelve stones and the twelve signs of the zodiac.
However, if jewelers were to adopt that sort of model, you wouldn’t own just the stone of your sun sign. You would own the stones of all the zodiac and wear different stones based on the challenges in your life you’re trying to work through. (Which, as you can imagine, isn’t something that “sells” easily.)
Why have a list in the first place?
So, the modern list of birthstones, defined by the National Association of Jewelers (Jewelers of America) in 1912, was likely designed as a more streamlined way to market gems. With so many options, how do you give people a more narrow set of choices?
One way is to give the gems a bit more meaning, tying them back to memories, personal symbolism, and landmark dates. Rather than just choosing something based on appearance, you’re tapping into something a bit more sentimental.
Birthstone jewelry sells and it’s not so complicated that it risks losing people’s interest.
If you get into too many options, you risk overwhelming buyers with options. (And part of selling is to make buying as easy as possible.)
So What About Zodiac Sign Stones?
There isn’t an “official” regulated list of zodiac sign stones like there is with the streamlined birthstone list created by Jewelers of America. I imagine such a list would have large clusters of gems for each sign, rather than just a few gems.
Unlike birthstones, zodiac sign stones would be a bit more flexible. You could choose a stone based on your sun sign (the sign you’re likely most familiar with).
But you’ll find elements of all the signs throughout your birth chart, so you can also choose stones associated with a sign that you feel like you need to work with more. Maybe you need some of Virgo’s meticulous attention to detail or Cancer’s caring, understanding approach to life. Maybe you want to give a gift that symbolizes Aries’ bold strength or Libra’s ability to create harmony.
These choices are a bit more mindful and they can give you a bit more to think about when you’re creating a gift.
So, here are some ideas for stones to represent your zodiac sign:
| Sign | Stones |
|---|---|
| Aries | Adventurine, Bloodstone, Jasper, Topaz |
| Taurus | Emerald, Peridot, Lapis, Malachite |
| Gemini | Agate (Especially Blue Lace Agate), Pearl, Blue Apatite, Chrysocolla |
| Cancer | Moonstone, Rose Quartz, Opal, Chalcedony |
| Leo | Carnelian, Onyx, Tiger’s Eye, Citrine |
| Virgo | Amazonite, Moss Agate, Adventurine |
| Libra | Jade, Opal, Lapis, Sapphire |
| Scorpio | Snowflake Obsidian, Smoky Quartz, Coral, Aquamarine |
| Sagittarius | Amethyst, Yellow Topaz, Ruby, Charoite |
| Capricorn | Garnet, Blue Topaz, Labradorite, Obsidian |
| Aquarius | Aquamarine, Fluorite, Rose Quartz, Rainbow Moonstone |
| Pisces | Amethyst, Moonstone, Sodalite, Turquoise |
How to Choose Zodiac Sign Stones
The list above, of course, is only a few examples of things you might pick. I’ve listed gems and stones that correspond with the usual traits of the zodiac signs, but you might go about choosing your stones a bit differently.
For instance, you might associate things like moonstone, amethyst, rose quartz, and aquamarine with Cancer due to the associations with the moon, intuition, and healing. However, Cancer is also known to struggle with sensitivity, so you might want to choose stones based on what they need help with. (Think earthy stones like malachite to keep them grounded, or fiery stones like ruby, garnet, or citrine to help them with confidence and drive.)
With every sign, there’s another side to the coin. For all of the positive aspects, there’s a flip side with a laundry list of struggles. So you can choose something that represents their strongest traits, or you can go with something to serve as a “guiding light” when they’re going through a rough time.
Regardless of what you do, it’s the thought you put into it that makes all the difference! And you can get a little more creative with your projects, trying things like sea glass and shells into a necklace for Cancer or “lava beads” into a bracelet for Aries.
Making Your Own Tumbled Stone Jewelry
If you haven’t made your own jewelry before, we have a guide here that covers a few simple projects to get started with—no drilling required! We’ve also recommended some of our favorite tools to make things easier.
Click here to check out some simple tumbled stone jewelry projects.
