February 19 – March 20 · Water

Pisces birthstones

Pisces carries Aquamarine and Amethyst in the zodiac tradition.

Aquamarine

Composition Beryllium aluminium silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl coloured by iron
Hardness · System 7.5–8 · Hexagonal

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.

Amethyst

Composition Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) — quartz coloured by iron and natural irradiation
Hardness · System 7 · Trigonal

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.

Sign or month?

Pisces runs February 19 – March 20, 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

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

Zodiac stones Aquamarine, Amethyst
Months it covers February and March
Stones of those months Amethyst, Aquamarine
In both systems Aquamarine, Amethyst

February 19 – March 20 — so the sign opens in one month and closes in another. Why the two lists never line up →

The split is uneven: 10 days fall in February and 20 in March. So most people with this sign — 67% — are sold the March stone.

Both stones — Aquamarine and Amethyst — also sit in the monthly list somewhere, which is the usual case.

February Amethyst March Aquamarine

The stones themselves

Stone Mohs Crystal system Main sources
Aquamarine 7.5–8 Hexagonal Brazil, Nigeria, Madagascar
Amethyst 7 Trigonal Brazil, Uruguay, Zambia

Amethyst is the softer at 7 on the Mohs scale — at 7 or above it resists everyday wear, including rings. What the scale means →

Aquamarine

Beryllium aluminium silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl coloured by iron Roman sailors carried it as protection at sea; the name means "water of the sea"

Amethyst

Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) — quartz coloured by iron and natural irradiation Named from the Greek amethystos, "not intoxicated" — Greeks carved drinking cups from it