July 23 – August 22 · Fire

Leo birthstones

Leo carries Peridot and Onyx in the zodiac tradition.

Peridot

Composition Magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) — gem-quality olivine
Hardness · System 6.5–7 · Orthorhombic

Peridot arrives on Earth in meteorites — pallasite meteorites carry gem-quality crystals formed beyond this planet.

Traditionally linked to lightness, release of resentment and fresh perspective.

Onyx

Composition Banded chalcedony
Hardness · System 6.5–7 · Trigonal

Most solid black onyx is dyed grey chalcedony. Naturally uniform black onyx is scarce.

Traditionally linked to discipline, endurance and holding a boundary.

Sign or month?

Leo runs July 23 – August 22, which crosses two calendar months — so the zodiac stone and the monthly birthstone may or may not agree depending on your exact date. Neither system overrules the other; the zodiac one is simply older.

Compare against the monthly chart →

← All zodiac birthstones

Two systems, one birth date

Leo spans 2 calendar months, so you have more than one birthstone

Zodiac stones Peridot, Onyx
Months it covers July and August
Stones of those months Ruby, Peridot, Spinel
In both systems Peridot

July 23 – August 22 — so the sign opens in one month and closes in another. Why the two lists never line up →

The split is uneven: 9 days fall in July and 22 in August. So most people with this sign — 71% — are sold the August stone.

Onyx appears in no month at all — one of just four such stones across the twelve signs.

July Ruby August Peridot, Spinel

The stones themselves

Stone Mohs Crystal system Main sources
Peridot 6.5–7 Orthorhombic Pakistan, Myanmar, USA (Arizona)
Onyx 6.5–7 Trigonal Brazil, India, Madagascar

Peridot is the softer at 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale — below 7, which means household dust scratches it, so it belongs in earrings or a pendant rather than an everyday ring. What the scale means →

Peridot

Magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) — gem-quality olivine Mined on the Egyptian island of Zabargad for over 3500 years

Onyx

Banded chalcedony The Greek onyx meant fingernail — the pale banding reminded them of it