March birthstones: aquamarine and bloodstone
March has two birthstones: aquamarine, a pale blue to blue-green gem, and bloodstone, a dark green stone flecked with red.
How to read it
Aquamarine is the blue to blue-green member of the beryl family, and its name comes from the Latin for seawater. Bloodstone, also called heliotrope, is an opaque dark green chalcedony with red spots of iron oxide.
Also searched as: aquamarine birthstone, birthstone for March, bloodstone birthstone.
Which is the March birthstone?
Both. On the 1912 list bloodstone was the March birthstone and aquamarine its alternate; GIA lists them together today.
Where this symbol came from
oldsymbols.comMarch birth flowers: daffodil and jonquilMarch’s birth flower is the daffodil, often paired with the jonquil, which is one kind of daffodil. In the flower dictionaries the daffodil meant regard, self-love or uncertainty, and the jonquil a wish for returned affection. oldsymbols.comBloodstoneBloodstone is dark green chalcedony spotted with red. Pliny the Elder called it heliotropium, “sun-turner”, for a belief that it turned the sun’s light red in water; Christian legend later read the red spots as the blood of Christ.Find a birthstone by date
stringmash.comBirthstones by monthThe birthstone for any month or birth date, in the current US list, the UK list and the older tradition.Read next
- Next in BirthstonesApril birthstone: diamondThe April birthstone is diamond, usually colourless but found in many colours.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of the African UnionThe African Union’s flag shows a map of Africa on a green field, surrounded by rays of light and a ring of stars. The African Union says the stars, 55 of them, represent its 55 member states; the Assembly’s 2007 decision asked for a green background to symbolise Africa’s hope.
More birthstones
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- March Birthstones: Aquamarine and Bloodstone (GIA), Gemological Institute of America
- Birthstone Chart: Modern and Traditional Birthstones, International Gem Society
- The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, by George Frederick Kunz, 1913, J. B. Lippincott (Project Gutenberg edition)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 27, 2026. How we research
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