May
Traditional: Emerald · Modern (1912 list): Emerald
Traditional and modern agree here — no 1912 swap for this month.
May's traditional stone is the emerald, and the 1912 modern list didn't change it — same stone then and now. This green variety of beryl has been prized since antiquity; Cleopatra was famously devoted to hers, reportedly claiming Egypt's emerald mines as her own. Long before that reputation, the stone had already picked up associations with rebirth, fertility, and love — themes that still cling to it.
Two flowers share May: lily of the valley and hawthorn. Lily of the valley symbolizes the return of happiness, its small white bells often tied to renewal after a hard stretch. Hawthorn stands for hope and supreme happiness, a blossom historically linked to the arrival of spring itself.