February Birthstone Color and Flower & more February Birthday Symbols

The February Birthstone is Amethyst

The official birthstone for the month of February is the stunning purple amethyst and hence the February birthstone color is purple.

February is one of the few months that only have one birthstone, so there is no alternative February gemstone.

Amethyst is one of the Zodiac birthstones for both for both Aquarius (Jan 21 - Feb 19) and Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 20) star signs.

Other birthday symbols include the birth flowers for February which are the Violet, Iris and Primrose.

Besides being a meaningful February birthday gift, Amethyst jewelry is the also given to celebrate a sixth wedding anniversary.

The name amethyst is derived from Greek legend and words that mean ‘to prevent intoxication’.

Amethysts are said to symbolize courage and inner strength.

Watch the short, informative videos below highlighting the history, symbolism and properties of this beautiful gemstone.

February Birthstone Color: Purple

February's birthstone color of purple comes from February's gemstone Amethyst.

Amethyst is a well known and admired quartz crystal that occurs in beautiful shades of purple. During the formation of the crystals, iron and manganese produce the purple color, varying from pale lilac through lavender and mauve to deep violet. Amethyst is found on all continents with the larger deposits occurring in South America, Africa and North America.

Amethyst crystals are often found in geodes, which are rock cavities lined with crystals. These cavities formed as gas bubbles when lava cooled many years ago and later various mineral rich solutions filled the voids and deposited crystals. Some of these geodes are quite spectacular and can be up to a few meters high.

Historically only royalty wore amethyst due to its rarity, however once vast deposits were discovered in Brazil, amethyst became a popular gemstone in everyday jewelry and in particular February birthstone jewelry.

Discover more about amethyst gemstones and amethyst history and symbolism.

Alternative February Birthstone: Green Amethyst

February is one of the few months that does not have alternative or secondary birthstones. However if you already have a collection of the traditional Purple Amethyst stone, there are many other types of Amethyst, so why not consider Green Amethyst.

Green Amethyst is more correctly called Prasiolite and is a very pale green variety of quartz. This gemstone usually occurs naturally near stable Purple Amethyst deposits. High temperature lava flows or intrusions would have caused chemical reactions that transformed the purple quartz into green quartz.

This heating process can be simulated in a lab by heating or irradiating Purple Amethyst. These crystals are most likely what you will find in Green Amethyst jewelry, as naturally occurring Prasiolite is very rare.