What is the Taurus birthstone?

There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (April 20 – May 20) names Sapphire; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Emerald instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.

Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Taurus?

Taurus's traditional stone, Sapphire, comes from the historical April birthstone list — the month Taurus begins in. Its modern stone, Emerald, 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 Emerald, Taurus's modern birthstone?

Emerald occurs in green tones, with a Mohs hardness of 7.5–8.

Is my Vedic sign the same as Taurus?

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

Is sapphire only blue?

No. Sapphire is gem corundum in any color except red, which is called ruby instead — so Taurus' traditional stone can appear in blue, pink, yellow, green, or colorless forms, even though blue is the color most associated with the name.

Taurus Birthstones

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

Taurus at a glance

Date range: April 20 – May 20
Element: Earth
Modality: Fixed
Ruling planet: Venus
Polarity: Negative

Taurus birthstones by system

Both zodiac-birthstone systems for Taurus, side by side
Sign	Traditional tropical zodiacTraditional Western astrology	Modern jewellery-trade zodiacContemporary retail convention
Taurus	Sapphire	Emerald

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

Sapphire (traditional tropical zodiac)

Sapphire is a variety of Corundum. Mohs hardness: 9. Color: Blue and Multicolour. Sapphire refers to gem corundum in any color other than red (which is ruby); blue is the most famous, but sapphire also occurs in pink, yellow, green, purple, and colourless ("white sapphire").

Emerald (modern jewelry-trade zodiac)

Emerald is a variety of Beryl. Mohs hardness: 7.5–8. Color: Green. Emerald is the green, chromium- and/or vanadium-bearing variety of beryl; inclusions ("jardin") are so characteristic that flawless emeralds are treated with suspicion by gemologists.

Why Taurus has two different stones

Taurus begins in April. The historical April birthstone list named Diamond and Sapphire, and Sapphire is the entry that carried through into the traditional tropical-zodiac list for Taurus — 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. Taurus ends in May, and its modern stone, Emerald, matches the current US birthstone table for May — the month that holds most of Taurus'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 Taurus (April 20 – May 20), your sidereal placement is often Aries instead — especially for birthdays in the first few weeks of the range. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments for Aries or any other sign, so this is a note about the sign shift only, not a birthstone recommendation.

Taurus birthstone FAQ

What is the Taurus birthstone?: There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (April 20 – May 20) names Sapphire; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Emerald instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.
Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Taurus?: Taurus's traditional stone, Sapphire, comes from the historical April birthstone list — the month Taurus begins in. Its modern stone, Emerald, 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 Emerald, Taurus's modern birthstone?: Emerald occurs in green tones, with a Mohs hardness of 7.5–8.
Is my Vedic sign the same as Taurus?: Not necessarily. The sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology runs roughly 23 days behind the tropical zodiac, so a birth date in tropical Taurus often falls under sidereal Aries instead. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments, so this concerns the sign only, not a stone recommendation.
Is sapphire only blue?: No. Sapphire is gem corundum in any color except red, which is called ruby instead — so Taurus' traditional stone can appear in blue, pink, yellow, green, or colorless forms, even though blue is the color most associated with the name.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-08-10.