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Zodiac stones: what the traditional lists say

Zodiac stones are an old convention: each sign gets one or two stones, but the lists contradict each other almost everywhere.

The 12 signs and their stones

  1. Aries

    The “Zodiacal Gems” list reproduced by Kunz gives Aries heliotrope, called “bloodstone.” The old Spanish list, which he thinks may be of Arabic origin, puts clear quartz there. The two lists therefore share no stone for this sign.

  2. Taurus

    Sapphire appears under Taurus in Kunz’s first list. The Spanish list offers ruby and diamond. Ruby appears elsewhere, under Capricorn, in the first list: a stone can change signs from one list to another.

  3. Gemini

    Agate is the stone of Gemini in the “Zodiacal Gems” list reported by Kunz. The Spanish list chooses sapphire. The sapphire of these old texts is not always today’s: Pliny, for example, uses the word for a stone close to lapis lazuli.

  4. Cancer

    Kunz gives Cancer emerald in his first list, while the Spanish list cites agate and beryl. Beryl, the mineral shared by emerald and aquamarine, is a broader name than the one in the first list: the two sources may overlap without saying so.

  5. Leo

    Onyx is tied to Leo in the “Zodiacal Gems” list, topaz in the Spanish list. The two lists have nothing in common for this sign, and recent books add still other choices depending on the author.

  6. Virgo

    Carnelian goes to Virgo in Kunz’s first list. The Spanish list places the lodestone there, called “magnet” in the English translation: a magnetic stone, very far from carnelian in nature as in color.

  7. Libra

    In the first list, Libra receives “chrysolite,” an old and shifting name: Kunz uses it sometimes for peridot, sometimes for a yellow chrysoberyl from Brazil. The Spanish list cites jasper. The name alone therefore does not point to a specific stone.

  8. Scorpio

    Beryl is the stone of Scorpio in the “Zodiacal Gems” list, garnet in the Spanish list. Garnet also goes to Aquarius in the first list: the same name therefore appears under two different signs depending on the source consulted.

  9. Sagittarius

    Topaz is associated with Sagittarius in the first list, emerald in the Spanish list. Topaz thus appears under two different signs from one list to the other, Sagittarius and Leo, which shows how conventional these assignments are.

  10. Capricorn

    Ruby is the stone of Capricorn in Kunz’s first list, chalcedony in the Spanish list. The index of his book mentions both stones for this sign: the sources disagree even within a single book.

  11. Aquarius

    Garnet is given to Aquarius in the “Zodiacal Gems” list, amethyst in the Spanish list. Amethyst belongs to Pisces in the first list: the same stone therefore changes signs when you move from one source to the other.

  12. Pisces

    Amethyst is the stone of Pisces in Kunz’s first list. In the text of the Spanish list, the Pisces slot is empty: as reproduced, that list gives this sign no stone.

Where these lists come from

Matching twelve stones to the twelve signs is a very old habit: in 1913, Kunz traces it back to the high priest’s breastplate, which Flavius Josephus and later Saint Jerome tied to the zodiac. He then reproduces two lists that diverge. Neither is authoritative. This chart puts them side by side, so you can see where they agree and where each makes its own choice.

No stone has a proven effect on health: if you have a health concern, see a health professional.

Zodiac stones: your questions

What is my stone according to my sign?

There is no single answer: Kunz’s lists give different stones for almost every sign, and recent books propose others. Read the options for your sign, then keep the one whose color or history speaks to you. No list has a verifiable basis.

Where does the idea of matching stones to signs come from?

Kunz traces it to the breastplate worn by the high priest described in Exodus, which Flavius Josephus, in the 1st century, and later Saint Jerome, in the 5th century, linked to the signs of the zodiac. Sign-by-sign associations are therefore a tradition of commentary, not an observation.

Zodiac stone or birthstone: what is the difference?

The birthstone follows the calendar month, based on a 1912 list drawn up by jewelers across the Atlantic. The zodiac stone follows the zodiac dates, which straddle two months. Kunz notes this himself: the signs do not coincide exactly with months as we count them today.

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