Birth Month

April

April 1 – April 30 · Fire (Aries period); Earth (Taurus period from April 20) · Mars (Aries), Venus (Taurus from April 20)

Traditional BirthstoneSapphire (in ancient Hebrew, Roman, and early European traditions); Diamond (in 16th-century Polish tradition and later)

Modern BirthstoneDiamond

ElementFire (Aries period); Earth (Taurus period from April 20)

Ruling PlanetMars (Aries), Venus (Taurus from April 20)

Associated crystals

DiamondOpen in the Dictionary SapphireOpen in the Dictionary Clear QuartzOpen in the Dictionary Herklimer DiamondOpen in the Dictionary OpalOpen in the Dictionary

Associated herbs

BasilOpen in the Dictionary HoneysuckleOpen in the Dictionary ThymeOpen in the Dictionary GeraniumOpen in the Dictionary BayOpen in the Dictionary

Source Tradition

Another major divergence: in ancient Hebrew, Roman, and early European lapidaries, sapphire was April's birthstone. The 16th-century Polish Jewish tradition introduced diamond, which the 1912 Jewelers of America list adopted as the sole modern stone—simultaneously reassigning sapphire to September. This shift was partly commercial, ensuring each month had a high-value gem. In Exodus 28, sapphire (sappir) is the second stone of Aaron's breastplate. Diamond does not appear in ancient breastplate lists, as its gem-quality cutting was not developed until the late medieval period.

16th-century Polish Jewish tradition; Exodus 28:18; George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, 1913; Jewelers of America, 1912—DIVERGENCE NOTED: Traditional sapphire replaced by diamond; sapphire reassigned to SeptemberExplore sourcing notes in the Appendix