What is the Capricorn birthstone?

There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (December 22 – January 19) names Ruby; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Garnet instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.

Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Capricorn?

Capricorn's traditional stone, Ruby, comes from the historical December birthstone list — the month Capricorn begins in. Its modern stone, Garnet, 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 Garnet, Capricorn's modern birthstone?

Garnet occurs in red, orange, green, and multicolour tones, with a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7.5.

Is my Vedic sign the same as Capricorn?

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

Why does Capricorn's date range cross the New Year?

Capricorn runs from December 22 to January 19, straddling two calendar years. Its traditional stone, ruby, comes from the historical December list it begins in; its modern stone, garnet, matches the current US list for January, the month that holds most of its date range.

Capricorn Birthstones

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

Capricorn at a glance

Date range: December 22 – January 19
Element: Earth
Modality: Cardinal
Ruling planet: Saturn
Polarity: Negative

Capricorn birthstones by system

Both zodiac-birthstone systems for Capricorn, side by side
Sign	Traditional tropical zodiacTraditional Western astrology	Modern jewellery-trade zodiacContemporary retail convention
Capricorn	Ruby	Garnet

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

Ruby (traditional tropical zodiac)

Ruby is a variety of Corundum. Mohs hardness: 9. Color: Red. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, colored by chromium; every other gem-quality color of corundum is classed as sapphire.

Garnet (modern jewelry-trade zodiac)

Garnet is its own mineral species. Mohs hardness: 6.5–7.5. Color: Red, Orange, Green, and Multicolour. Garnet is a mineral group, not a single species — chemical formula varies by member (pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, andradite, uvarovite), which is why no single formula is given here. Deep red almandine-pyrope is the classic birthstone variety.

Why Capricorn has two different stones

Capricorn begins in December. The historical December birthstone list named Bloodstone and Ruby, and Ruby is the entry that carried through into the traditional tropical-zodiac list for Capricorn — 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. Capricorn ends in January, and its modern stone, Garnet, matches the current US birthstone table for January — the month that holds most of Capricorn'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 Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), your sidereal placement is often Sagittarius instead — especially for birthdays in the first few weeks of the range. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments for Sagittarius or any other sign, so this is a note about the sign shift only, not a birthstone recommendation.

Capricorn birthstone FAQ

What is the Capricorn birthstone?: There isn't one settled answer. The traditional tropical zodiac (December 22 – January 19) names Ruby; the modern jewelry-trade convention names Garnet instead. Both are sourced, dated lists — see the comparison table above.
Why do the two zodiac birthstone lists disagree for Capricorn?: Capricorn's traditional stone, Ruby, comes from the historical December birthstone list — the month Capricorn begins in. Its modern stone, Garnet, 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 Garnet, Capricorn's modern birthstone?: Garnet occurs in red, orange, green, and multicolour tones, with a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7.5.
Is my Vedic sign the same as Capricorn?: Not necessarily. The sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology runs roughly 23 days behind the tropical zodiac, so a birth date in tropical Capricorn often falls under sidereal Sagittarius instead. We have not sourced Vedic birthstone assignments, so this concerns the sign only, not a stone recommendation.
Why does Capricorn's date range cross the New Year?: Capricorn runs from December 22 to January 19, straddling two calendar years. Its traditional stone, ruby, comes from the historical December list it begins in; its modern stone, garnet, matches the current US list for January, the month that holds most of its date range.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-08-10.