February · Purple

February birthstone: Amethyst

The stone for February in both the modern and traditional lists.

Modern birthstone Amethyst
Traditional birthstone Amethyst
Colour Purple
Birth flower Violet and Primrose
Zodiac signs Aquarius, Pisces
Hardness (Mohs) 7

Amethyst was priced alongside ruby and emerald until vast Brazilian deposits were found in the 1800s. The price collapsed; the tradition did not.

February stones in detail

Amethyst

Composition Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) — quartz coloured by iron and natural irradiation
Hardness · Crystal system 7 · Trigonal
Mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Zambia, Russia, South Korea

Amethyst fades in sunlight. Heat it and it turns yellow — most commercial citrine is heat-treated amethyst.

Traditionally associated with clear thinking, restraint and calm; the classic stone of sobriety.

Care. Warm soapy water only. Keep out of direct sunlight, which fades the colour permanently.

Spotting a fake. The convincing fakes are synthetic amethyst, chemically identical and detectable only by lab. Glass is easier: look for bubbles and unnaturally even colour. Real amethyst usually shows colour zoning.

February birth flowers

Violet

Traditionally signifies faithfulness and modesty.

Primrose

Traditionally signifies young love.

More on February birth flowers →

If you go by zodiac sign instead

February spans two signs — Aquarius and Pisces — and the zodiac stone list does not match the monthly one. Which applies to you depends on the day, not just the month.

Aquarius stones · Pisces stones

Questions about the February birthstone

What is the birthstone for February?

Amethyst in the modern list.

What colour is the February birthstone?

Purple.

What is the February birth flower?

Violet and Primrose — signifying faithfulness and modesty.

Is it hard enough to wear every day?

Amethyst sits at 7 on the Mohs scale. Fine for daily wear, though it will pick up scratches over years in a ring.

Other months

January March April May June July August September October November December

Measured against our reference of 43 stones

The February stones, by hardness

Amethyst · modern Mohs 7 · +0.65 vs average · daily wear
Amethyst · traditional Mohs 7 · +0.65 vs average · daily wear
Onyx · alternative Mohs 6.5–7 · +0.4 vs average · needs care
Average across all 43 stones Mohs 6.35
Modern and traditional the same stone

Amethyst: Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) — quartz coloured by iron and natural irradiation. Crystal system Trigonal. At Mohs 7 or above it survives everyday dust, which is quartz at exactly 7.

Who this month covers

Days in February 28
Aquarius — share of all births 7.75%
Pisces — share of all births 7.91%

Signs are not equally common — the Sun spends different lengths of time in each, so the two signs sharing this month do not split it evenly. Exact ingress times here.