2027 Forecast

March · Pale blue to sea green

March birthstone: Aquamarine

The birthstone for March is Aquamarine. The traditional list names Bloodstone instead, and only 2 of the 12 months differ that way.

1912 jewelers’ list
Bloodstone or aquamarine · Kansas City
Older lists
Jasper · 5 of 8 Kunz’s tally of 8 old lists
March births
8.32% #7 of 12 months, US 2000–2014

Kunz 1913; US births 2000–2014.

The months either side, and the same month in flowers: February birthstone, April birthstone and March birth flower.

All twelve months, modern and traditional lists in one table: birthstones by month.

March Birthstone: Aquamarine — Meaning, Color and Flower
Modern birthstone Aquamarine
Traditional birthstone Bloodstone
Color Pale blue to sea green
Birth flower Daffodil and Jonquil
Zodiac signs Pisces, Aries
Hardness (Mohs) 7.5–8

March is one of the clearest splits between the old and new lists: bloodstone held the month for centuries before aquamarine took over in the twentieth century. Both are still considered correct.

Note the split: Aquamarine is the modern choice, while Bloodstone held the month in the older list. Both are still considered correct, so if you were told a different stone growing up, that is probably why.

March stones in detail

Aquamarine

Composition Beryllium aluminum silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl colored by iron
Hardness · Crystal system 7.5–8 · Hexagonal
Mined in Brazil, Nigeria, Madagascar, Pakistan, Zambia

Same mineral family as emerald. The difference is the trace element: iron makes aquamarine, chromium makes emerald.

Traditionally linked to calm communication and steadiness under pressure.

Care. Warm soapy water. Ultrasonic is usually safe, but not if the stone has visible inclusions.

Spotting a fake. Blue glass and blue topaz are the common substitutes. Aquamarine is pleochroic — tilt it and the blue shifts between blue and near-colorless. Glass does not.

Bloodstone

Composition Chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) with inclusions of red iron oxide
Hardness · Crystal system 6.5–7 · Trigonal
Mined in India, Brazil, Australia, Scotland

The red spots are iron oxide, not blood — but the resemblance drove nearly all of its folklore.

Traditionally carried for courage and endurance, particularly by athletes and soldiers.

Care. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals, which dull the surface.

Spotting a fake. Dyed jasper is sold as bloodstone. Genuine bloodstone has irregular, uneven red flecks; dyed material shows color concentrated in cracks.

The story of the March stones

Aquamarine means "seawater" in Latin, and sailors carried it as a charm against storms and seasickness. Bloodstone is the older March stone: medieval Christians called it the martyr's stone and told that it formed where drops of Christ's blood fell on green jasper at the crucifixion. The American list of 1912 put bloodstone first with aquamarine as the alternative; by the middle of the century the order had been reversed.

Choosing a March stone

The two March stones could hardly be more different. Aquamarine is a transparent blue gem cut for sparkle, and its color deepens with size, so the most saturated blues come in larger stones; most have been gently heated to remove a green tint. Bloodstone is opaque and inexpensive, best as a cabochon, a carved bead or a signet ring, and it has long been a favorite for men's jewelry.

Primary source

March in George Kunz’s Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913)

The verse for March
“Who on this world of ours her eyes In March first opens may be wise, In days of peril firm and brave, Wears she a bloodstone to her grave.”
George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones” — read the original text. Kunz’s traditional stone for March is jasper or bloodstone, and the jewelers’ list adopted in Kansas City in 1912 gives bloodstone (alternative: aquamarine). In his tally of eight older lists, March went to jasper in 5 of them, bloodstone in 4 — some lists give a month two stones. Which lists Kunz compared, and where the verses come from →

March birth flowers

Daffodil

Traditionally signifies new beginnings and unequalled regard.

Jonquil

Traditionally signifies desire and returning affection.

More on March birth flowers →

If you go by zodiac sign instead

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

Pisces stones · Aries stones

Questions about the March birthstone

What is the birthstone for March?

The modern March birthstone is Aquamarine. The traditional stone is Bloodstone.

What color is the March birthstone?

Pale blue to sea green.

What is the March birth flower?

Daffodil and Jonquil; the daffodil traditionally signifies new beginnings and unequalled regard.

Is Aquamarine hard enough to wear every day?

Aquamarine rates 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. It suits a ring worn daily; the thing to watch is ultrasonic cleaning of stones with visible inclusions.

What zodiac signs fall in March?

Pisces and Aries.

Other months

January February April May June July August September October November December

Measured against our reference of 43 stones

The March stones, by hardness

Aquamarine · modern Mohs 7.5–8 · +1.4 vs average · everyday ring
Bloodstone · traditional Mohs 6.5–7 · +0.4 vs average · everyday ring
Jade · alternative Mohs 6–7 · +0.15 vs average · everyday ring
Average across all 43 stones Mohs 6.35
Modern and traditional different stones
March birthstones on the Mohs hardness scale
March birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the March birthstones marked: Aquamarine 7.5–8, Bloodstone 6.5–7 (traditional).Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Aquamarine 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Bloodstone 6.5–7Garnet: Mohs 6.5–7.5Amethyst: Mohs 7Citrine: Mohs 7Rose Quartz: Mohs 7Clear Quartz: Mohs 7Smoky Quartz: Mohs 7Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Emerald: Mohs 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Peridot: Mohs 6.5–7Sardonyx: Mohs 6.5–7Zircon: Mohs 6–7.5Carnelian: Mohs 6.5–7Onyx: Mohs 6.5–7Agate: Mohs 6.5–7Tiger's Eye: Mohs 6.5–7Aventurine: Mohs 6.5–7Diamond: Mohs 10Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Labradorite: Mohs 6–6.5Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5Ruby: Mohs 9Sapphire: Mohs 9Spinel: Mohs 8Topaz: Mohs 8Opal: Mohs 5.5–6.5Rhodonite: Mohs 5.5–6.5Tourmaline: Mohs 7–7.5Turquoise: Mohs 5–6Lapis Lazuli: Mohs 5–6Hematite: Mohs 5–6Tanzanite: Mohs 6–7Jade: Mohs 6–7Obsidian: Mohs 5–5.5Malachite: Mohs 3.5–4Amber: Mohs 2–2.5Selenite: Mohs 2Fluorite: Mohs 4Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Kyanite: Mohs 4.5–7Lepidolite: Mohs 2.5–31Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5window glass 5.5household dust (quartz) 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com
March birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the March birthstones marked: Aquamarine 7.5–8, Bloodstone 6.5–7 (traditional).Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Aquamarine 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Bloodstone 6.5–71Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5glass 5.5dust 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com

March on the scale: Aquamarine 7.5–8, Bloodstone 6.5–7 (traditional). Of the twelve months’ first-listed modern stones, Aquamarine is joint 5th hardest.

Aquamarine: Beryllium aluminum silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl colored by iron. Crystal system Hexagonal. At Mohs 7 or above it survives everyday dust, which is quartz at exactly 7.

Who this month covers

Days in March 31
Pisces · March 1–20 64.5% of March births
Aries · March 21–31 35.5% of March births

Pisces takes the larger part of March, 20 days against 11 for Aries, which in US births for 2000–2014 came to 64.5% of the month. Exact sign dates →

Sources

  1. George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones”

Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “March Birthstone: Aquamarine — Meaning, Color and Flower.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/march/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=March Birthstone: Aquamarine — Meaning, Color and Flower |url=https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/march/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}