What is the Leo birthstone?

There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (July 23 – August 22) names Onyx; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Peridot instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.

Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Leo?

Leo's traditional stone, Onyx, comes from the historical July birthstone list — the month Leo begins in. Its modern stone, Peridot, comes from the separate current monthly birthstone table instead. The disagreement between the two zodiac lists is really the historical list diverging from the modern one; each sign inherits that divergence from its date range.

What color is Peridot, Leo's modern birthstone?

Peridot occurs in green tones, with a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7.

Is my Vedic sign the same as Leo?

Not necessarily. The sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology runs roughly 23 days behind the tropical zodiac, so a birth date in tropical Leo often falls under sidereal Cancer instead. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments, so this concerns the sign only, not a stone recommendation.

Is onyx naturally black?

True onyx is banded chalcedony with straight black-and-white, or solid-black, layers. A great deal of commercial "black onyx" jewelry is actually dyed chalcedony rather than naturally black material — worth asking about if the color is important to you.

Leo Birthstones

Leo doesn't have one settled birthstone. The traditional tropical zodiac assigns Onyx; the modern jewelry trade assignsPeridot instead. Both are attested, dated conventions — not ancient absolutes — and the comparison and sourcing below show exactly where each one comes from.

Leo at a glance

Date range: July 23 – August 22
Element: Fire
Modality: Fixed
Ruling planet: Sun
Polarity: Positive

Leo birthstones by system

Both zodiac-birthstone systems for Leo, side by side
Sign	Traditional tropical zodiacTraditional Western astrology	Modern jewellery-trade zodiacContemporary retail convention
Leo	Onyx	Peridot

Traditional tropical zodiac: This list derives from the historical monthly birthstone table keyed to each sign's starting month, so it inherits that table's lack of a single standardising source.

Modern jewellery-trade zodiac: This is a contemporary retail convention mapping the current monthly list onto zodiac date ranges — a 20th/21st-century commercial construct, not an ancient astrological tradition.

The stones themselves

Onyx (traditional tropical zodiac)

Onyx is a variety of Chalcedony. Mohs hardness: 6.5–7. Color: Black and White. True onyx is banded chalcedony with straight black-and-white (or solid black) bands; much commercial "black onyx" jewelry is dyed chalcedony rather than natural material.

Peridot (modern jewelry-trade zodiac)

Peridot is a variety of Olivine. Mohs hardness: 6.5–7. Color: Green. Peridot is the gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine; "chrysolite" is an older name for the same material, not a distinct species.

Why Leo has two different stones

Leo begins in July. The historical July birthstone list named Turquoise and Onyx, and Onyx is the entry that carried through into the traditional tropical-zodiac list for Leo — the same stone, tied to the month the sign begins in.

The modern jewelry-trade list works differently: rather than drawing on the historical table, it draws on the current monthly birthstone table instead. Leo ends in August, and its modern stone, Peridot, matches the current US birthstone table for August — the month that holds most of Leo's date range.

Western vs. Vedic: which sign are you really?

The dates above use the tropical zodiac, the system Western astrology — and this page — is built on. The sidereal zodiac used in Vedic (Jyotish) astrology runs roughly 23 days behind it, because it tracks the actual position of the constellations rather than the seasons. If you were born under tropical Leo (July 23 – August 22), your sidereal placement is often Cancer instead — especially for birthdays in the first few weeks of the range. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments for Cancer or any other sign, so this is a note about the sign shift only, not a birthstone recommendation.

Leo birthstone FAQ

What is the Leo birthstone?: There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (July 23 – August 22) names Onyx; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Peridot instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.
Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Leo?: Leo's traditional stone, Onyx, comes from the historical July birthstone list — the month Leo begins in. Its modern stone, Peridot, comes from the separate current monthly birthstone table instead. The disagreement between the two zodiac lists is really the historical list diverging from the modern one; each sign inherits that divergence from its date range.
What color is Peridot, Leo's modern birthstone?: Peridot occurs in green tones, with a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7.
Is my Vedic sign the same as Leo?: Not necessarily. The sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology runs roughly 23 days behind the tropical zodiac, so a birth date in tropical Leo often falls under sidereal Cancer instead. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments, so this concerns the sign only, not a stone recommendation.
Is onyx naturally black?: True onyx is banded chalcedony with straight black-and-white, or solid-black, layers. A great deal of commercial "black onyx" jewelry is actually dyed chalcedony rather than naturally black material — worth asking about if the color is important to you.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-08-10.