White birthstones come in a variety of beautiful shades and types. There are several white gemstones associated with different months that can make lovely birthstone jewelry. Let’s explore some of the options for white birthstones and what they symbolize.
Opal
The birthstone for the month of October is the opal. Opals come in a range of colors, but white opals are the most common. Precious opal displays flashes of color called opalescence, which makes for a stunning gem.
White opals can be milky white or a pearly sheen. They are unique and eye-catching stones. Opals have been treasured for centuries and worn as talismans due to their mystical appearance. They represent hope, innocence, and purity.
Topaz
Topaz is a birthstone for November and comes in an array of colors. White topaz is a popular option with a vitreous luster. The stone can be clear or opaque with a milky appearance. Topaz is sometimes irradiated to produce a blue color, then heated to make it colorless.
White topaz meaning includes peace, protection, and strength. According to legend, topaz dispels enchantments. The ancient Greeks believed it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invisible. Some believe it brings wisdom and good fortune.
Diamond
Diamonds are the famous April birthstone treasured for their sparkle and hardness. Most diamonds are colorless, which gives them their prized transparent white look. The stone’s name comes from the Greek word “adamas,” meaning invincible.
Diamonds symbolize eternity due to their enduring clarity and strength. They represent commitment and everlasting love, making them a popular choice for engagement and wedding rings. Ancient Hindus called diamonds “vajra,” believing lightning bolts made them.
Moonstone
June’s birthstone, the moonstone, displays a pearly opalescence that shifts with the light. Ranging from colorless to various colors, white moonstone has a soft glow. The sheen resembles moonbeams shining on water.
In India, white moonstone is a sacred stone called Chandrakanta. It is associated with the Hindu moon god Chandra and represents love, fertility, and wisdom. Ancient Romans believed it was formed from moonbeams and contained the moon’s magic.
Pearl
The organic gem pearl is the birthstone for June. Natural pearls form inside mollusks and come in white or cream with a luminous nacreous surface. They are symbolic of purity, faith, and chastity.
For centuries, pearls have been used as adornment by nobility and royalty. In ancient Rome, they were viewed as the epitome of elegance. Pearls represent integrity and are said to attract wealth and luck.
Sapphire
While blue is the most common, sapphires come in all colors. White sapphires are translucent to opaque stones ranging from dull and milky to a brighter crystal. They are the traditional gift for 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.
In the Middle Ages, the clergy wore white sapphires as protection from impure thoughts and temptations. They symbolize wisdom, purity, and nobility. Sapphires are also associated with spiritual enlightenment and inner peace.
Quartz
Quartz is a common mineral that occurs in an array of varieties. Colorless quartz is known as rock crystal. It can be cloudy or transparent with a vitreous luster. Rock crystal balls have been used for ancient scrying and fortune telling.
The stone symbolizes clarity, reflection, and illumination. It represents purification and healing. Clear quartz amplifies energies, thoughts, and intentions. It provides clarity in decision-making and is said to assist with spiritual development.
Beryl
Beryl is a mineral family that includes precious stones like emerald and aquamarine. Goshenite is the colorless, transparent variety of beryl, named after the location it was discovered in Goshen, Massachusetts.
This white gemstone is also known as white emerald or white beryl. It has a vitreous luster and exhibits brilliance and clarity. While lacking the allure of gem-quality colored beryl, goshenite has its own understated elegance.
Chalcedony
Chalcedony describes a family of cryptocrystalline quartz stones with a waxy luster. Varieties include agate, onyx, jasper, and carnelian. White chalcedony is translucent with a soft white glow.
The stone symbolizes calmness, wisdom, and wellness. Chalcedony absorbs negative energy, promotes emotional stability, and alleviates hostilities. It was used in the carvings of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and believed to ward off evil spirits.
Amethyst
Amethyst is a popular purple gemstone that also occurs naturally in white or colorless. It ranges from transparent to opaque. White amethyst still exhibits the stone’s characteristic purple and blue flashes when cut.
White amethyst connects to the crown chakra, representing purification, divination, and healing. It provides clarity to move past distractions and addictions toward spiritual growth. The stone dispels negative energy and promotes calmness.
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque blue-green mineral rock that also occurs in a white matrix form. White turquoise or “white buffalo turquoise” displays brown or black spiderweb matrix patterns. The stone was sacred among Native Americans.
White turquoise combines earthy stability with sky energy. It brings wisdom, protection, leadership, and abundance. The stone unites masculine and feminine energies for balance, friendship, and unity. It connects spirit with the physical world.
Zircon
Zircon is an underrated gemstone available in beautiful colors. White zircon ranges from colorless to pale yellow, grayish, and reddish brown hues. With brilliance and flashes of rainbow refraction, the diamond-like stone resembles colorless topaz.
Thought to resemble diamond, white zircon symbolizes brilliance and eternal youth. In the Middle Ages it protected travelers from injury and sickness. The Romans believed the stone brought honor, wisdom, and prosperity. Zircon boosts self-esteem and spiritual growth.
Quartz Crystal Properties
Here is an overview of the properties of clear quartz crystals:
| Chemistry | Silicon dioxide |
| Color | Colorless |
| Mohs hardness | 7 |
| Crystal structure | Trigonal |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent |
| Refractive index | 1.544-1.553 |
| Double refraction | 0.009 |
| Birefringence | Weakly birefringent |
| Pleochroism | None |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Specific gravity | 2.65 |
Key attributes:
– Composed of silicon and oxygen
– Hard, durable mineral
– Transparent to translucent clarity
– Colorless and glass-like
– Hexagonal crystal shape
– Displays piezoelectricity
– Amplifies energies
– Programmable stone
– Powerful for cleansing and healing
Clear quartz exemplifies the beauty and symmetry of crystallized light. It amplifies intentions, thoughts, and energies through its structure. This makes it an ideal stone for healing, meditation, and spiritual development.
Symbolic White Gemstones
Here are some key white gemstones and their symbolic meanings:
| Gemstone | Symbolism |
| Diamond | Commitment, eternity, strength |
| Pearl | Innocence, purity, integrity |
| Opal | Hope, innocence, creativity |
| Moonstone | Femininity, intuition, fertility |
| White Sapphire | Purity, nobility, virtue |
| Rock Crystal | Clarity, reflection, spirituality |
| Topaz | Protection, strength, good fortune |
| Chalcedony | Calmness, wellbeing, absorption of negativity |
| Beryl | Purifying, intellect |
| Amethyst | Purification, healing, divination |
While white gems symbolize purity, they also represent a range of powerful attributes from protection to wisdom. Many possess a cool, gentle energy that instills clarity and spiritual reflection.
Rarest White Gemstones
Some of the rarest and most valuable white gemstones include:
– Jargoon – A variety of colorless zircon. Highly brilliant stones over 5 carats are exceptionally rare.
– Goshenite – Transparent colorless beryl. Few deposits have yielded gemstone quality material.
– Cumberland Diamond – The first diamond discovery in North America in 1872. Only a few crystals were extracted.
– Blue-white Diamond – A legendary 12.03 carat blue-white diamond known as the Blue Moon was sold for over $48 million in 2015.
– Black Opal – White opals with black potch matrix are the rarest and most desirable type of opal gem.
– Bi-color Tourmaline – Extremely rare tourmalines that display dramatic color zoning with distinct white and green or pink sections.
– Musgravite – A trace mineral first discovered in Australia in 1967 at the Musgrave Range. Transparent gem-quality pieces are almost non-existent.
– Grandidierite – Pale blue-green crystals found solely in Madagascar. Only small faceted stones exist.
– Painite – Reddish-brown to orange-red mineral first found in Myanmar in the 1950s. Transparent white painite is exceptionally scarce.
These unusual crystal specimens demonstrate the wonder of nature in producing Earth’s treasures. The scarcity and uniqueness of each contributes to their value and allure as collector’s items.
Historical White Birthstones
Birthstones evolved over the centuries as new gemstones were discovered and astrology practices changed. Here are some historical white birthstone choices:
| Month | Modern | Traditional | Ayurvedic | Tibetan |
| January | Garnet | White Zircon | Garnet | Garnet |
| February | Amethyst | Rock Crystal | Amethyst | Turquoise |
| March | Aquamarine | Bloodstone | Bloodstone | Ruby |
| April | Diamond | Rock Crystal | Diamond | Sapphire |
| May | Emerald | Agate | Agate | Lapis Lazuli |
| June | Pearl | Jargoon | Moonstone | Pearl |
| July | Ruby | Onyx | Ruby | Ruby |
| August | Peridot | Sardonyx | Spinel | Peridot |
| September | Sapphire | Chrysolite | Coral | Amber |
| October | Opal | Aquamarine | Opal | Tourmaline |
| November | Topaz | Topaz | Topaz | Topaz |
| December | Zircon | Ruby | Emerald | Malachite |
Over time, colorless quartz and zircon gave way to more brilliant diamonds and pearls as the preferred white birthstones. But in ancient times, translucent crystals were believed to hold protective and divination powers.
Synthetic White Gemstones
While natural gems form over millions of years in specific conditions, scientists have created artificial processes to make synthetic gemstones. Some white synthetics include:
– Cubic Zirconia – Zirconium oxide crystal that mimics diamond. Discovered in 1937.
– Moissanite – Silicon carbide crystal first synthesized in 1893 by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Henri Moissan. Marketed as a diamond alternative.
– Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) – Lab created from yttrium oxide and aluminum oxide in 1967 as a diamond simulated.
– Rutile – Titanium oxide that is synthetically produced in large quantities. Used as an inexpensive diamond coated crystal.
– Strontium Titanate – Discovered in 1959 as a diamond simulated. Has exceptional brilliance due to high refractive index.
Synthetic gems offer an affordable, ethical alternative to rare natural stones. Advanced methods can produce stones with exceptional sparkle. But synthetic lacks the mineral fingerprint, crystallization process, and value of authentic gems.
Most Expensive White Diamonds
Some record sales for white diamond gems include:
| Diamond | Carat | Sale Price |
| The Oval Diamond | 118.28 | $30.6 million in 2013 |
| Winston Legacy | 101.73 | $26.7 million in 2013 |
| De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 | 10.48 | $10 million in 2016 |
| The Steinmetz Pink | 59.60 | $71.2 million in 2017 |
| CTF Pink Star | 59.60 | $71.2 million in 2017 |
| Blue Moon of Josephine | 12.03 | $48.5 million in 2015 |
| Oppenheimer Blue | 14.62 | $57.5 million in 2016 |
The clarity, perfection, and size of these diamonds accounts for the astronomical prices paid at auction. Colorless and fancy vivid white diamonds with excellent cut, clarity, and carat carry tremendous value, especially among the world’s largest gems.
Choosing a White Birthstone
When selecting a white birthstone, consider:
– Symbolism – Pick a stone that represents your personality or desired qualities. Let it carry more meaning.
– Durability – Opt for a sufficiently hard gem to stand up to daily wear. Diamonds rate 10, sapphires and topaz are 8 to 9.
– Color – Determine if perfectly colorless or a warmer tone like moonstone suits you.
– Style – Match the stone to your taste. Statement pearls, delicate opal, or modern white topaz.
– Budget – Natural gems in fine qualities run high. But beautiful options exist at all price points.
– Ethics – Choose reputable sellers that disclose treatments and source stones ethically. Support fair trade.
– Meaning – Select a stone that resonates and brings you joy. The gem’s energy and cooling calm can enhance your life.
A white birthstone can become a personal talisman with special meaning and wearability for everyday elegance. Let your individuality and the stone’s attributes guide the perfect pick.
Conclusion
White gemstones offer diverse choices as birthstones for all months of the year. Timeless diamonds, luminous pearls, and magical opals capture the stone’s symbolic purity and inner radi
