Cancer Birthstone [Ultimate Crystal Guide]

cancer birthstone

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The primary Cancer birthstone is Ruby, and the sign’s other birthstones include Calcite, Carnelian, Rose Quartz, and Rainbow Moonstone.

In this article, we will cover the Cancer sign in detail, with a focus on each Cancer birthstone.

Cancer Sign Quick Facts

  • Birthday: June 21st-July 22nd
  • Element: Water
  • Quality: Cardinal
  • Colors: White
  • Day: Monday, Thursday
  • Ruler: Moon
  • Most Compatible Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio
  • Least Compatible Signs: Gemini, Aquarius, Aries
  • Lucky Numbers: 2, 3, 15, 20

Cancer Traits

Loyal and sensitive, a Cancer cares deeply for the people in their lives. They tend to be empathetic creatures who base their relationships off emotional value instead of status or monetary gain.

That said, they’re driven and diligent. When Cancer sees a job to be done, they do it. Much like the Taurus before them, they value the security that money provides. This combination of hardy worker and people person lends itself well to their careers.

Crabs gravitate towards professions like nursing, teaching, and gardeners. Basically, they like jobs where they can make a difference.

When it comes to romance, Cancer is an open, affectionate lover who values unspoken communication. Their ideal partner makes them feel calm and secure without taking advantage of them.

They have trouble expressing their needs and tend to go with their partner’s flow. However, they will leave quickly if a partner seems flaky or distant.

As far as friendships go, crabs are loyal people pleasers who usually have no trouble connecting with others. They enjoy seeing their friends happy and most often have a smaller close knit inner circle.

To go along with that, the crab is not the life of the party. They prefer to stay in and enjoy the comforts of home rather than spend a wild night on the town.

Strengths

As the fourth sign in the zodiac, Cancer is imaginative and dedicated. Those born under this sign put people ahead of financial or material gain.

They’re also diligent workers who take pride in their careers. They remember pretty much everything and will tackle any task that’s put in front of them. They don’t like to complain and are often very intuitive.

On the whole, this sign is kind, gentle and doggedly loyal. They’re usually great at communication and can be quite persuasive when they want to be. Though, they’ll never hurt someone else’s feelings on purpose if they can help it.

A crab can make friends with little trouble. More than that, they’ll go to the ends of the Earth for someone they care about, but they won’t hang onto someone who doesn’t return at least some of that effort.

Weaknesses

On the flip side, Cancer can get too emotional. They attach quickly and tend to be easy to insult. They’ll spare other people’s feelings at the expense of their own.

Crabs are flexible, but tend to bend to unhealthy levels for the people they love. This means that they have to be careful not to invest in those who’d take advantage of their kindness.

Their dedication to their jobs means they’re prone to overworking themselves. When it comes down to it, Cancer has a hard time setting boundaries and sticking to them. They don’t like to say no, because they hate feeling like they’ve disappointed someone.

This can lead to issues like a lack of confidence and suspicion of others. They’ll go out of their way to please people they don’t even believe care about them just to perk up their sense of self-worth.

Main Cancer Birthstone: Ruby

 AA Grade Octagon Raw Ruby
AA Grade Octagon Raw Ruby

The main birthstone for Cancer is the ruby. This deep red gem is prized the world over for its rich color and beauty. It represents passion, confidence, and nobility.

In short, ruby is a stone for leaders. While crabs are born under the moon, ruby is tied to the sun. This close celestial tie makes it a beneficial foil to Cancer’s ebb and flow.

The fiery energy of this crystal reminds those under the sign of Cancer to stand up for themselves. It fires up energy and improves concentration.

Ruby inspires and rewards loyalty while boosting creativity. This protective gem is truly a stone of action and power. It settles the heart and builds joy while emboldening its keeper.

On the whole, ruby is a crystal that gets your blood pumping. Ruby helps us to be spontaneous and can even spark good dreams.

Ruby Cancer Birthstone Properties

Fuels Courage and Confidence

Ruby is the gem of kings and not just because it tends to be expensive. Its rich red color is a sign of the fiery power it lends to those who work with it.

Ruby settles anxious emotions and fills the space left behind with burning confidence. This can be especially helpful for a Cancer who doesn’t like to speak up for themselves. It’s also great for ones who are a bit more prone to emotional outbursts.

Those who work with ruby find it helps increase their energy and inspire them to live to their full potential. This, in turn, sparks up their self-worth.

Protects its Keeper

This gem protects those who work with it in a variety of ways. The fiery red color burns away bad luck and fights off negative energy.

It’s a stone of knowledge and good luck and that includes when it comes to money. Ruby guards its keeper’s financial gains. Since Cancer values the security that money can provide, this particular effect is something they can get behind.

It can also put up a blazing wall against accidental and intentional psychic attacks. In short, this is a stone that can help its keeper build the life they want (or need) and keep it there.

Sparks Up Spontaneity

With all those passions flying around, things are bound to happen. No, not that thing. At least not necessarily.

The point is that ruby encourages its keeper to be spontaneous. This talisman sparks those who use it with the fire to go after what calls to them. It helps us break out of our routines and encourages us to try new things.

This can be useful for a crab who lacks the confidence to stray from what they know. Cancer can be a bit of a homebody, but ruby reminds them to push into the world with a burning boldness for the new and exciting.

How Does Ruby Help You?

Ruby is a stone of thought and action. It burns away mental blocks and boosts energy while connecting and grounding its keeper. This boosts clarity and combats mental overload.

Even just the fact of owning this crystal can sometimes be enough to boost your confidence. After all, it’s an expensive crystal tool, so if you’ve got one, you at least had the money once.

Ruby is a stone that aligns with the energy of the human mind and inspires us to be the best version of ourselves we can. It helps us stay clear and focused.

For a Cancer, ruby is the perfect dance partner, the sun to their moon. It can boost their positive traits and burn away any insecurities. The red gem inspires creativity and sharpens intention.

Emotional Healing

When it comes to the emotional side of things, ruby helps inspire us to overcome our insecurities. At the same time, it instills fiery confidence and sparks spontaneity.

Those who work with ruby tend to find that they feel capable and inspired. It’s associated with the heart chakra and that means that it encourages us to follow our passions.

This is a stone of love and desire that helps solidify the bond between lovers. That’s something a Cancer can really appreciate.

Where a crab might give in to demands, ruby reminds them to express their emotions and stand up for what they believe in. It can also help them check-in when they’ve been wearing themselves thin.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that no crystal can replace the advice of a trained medical or mental health professional.

Your health journey is going to be different from anyone else’s. If you’re struggling, it’s best to seek the advice of an expert in addition to or in place of crystal healing.

How to Use Ruby as a Cancer Birthstone

If you’re lucky enough to work with ruby, then you should consider yourself truly privileged. How you decide to incorporate this gem into your life is going to depend on your preferences, financial situation, and skill level.

Some choose to meditate with a raw ruby, while others prefer to work with a cut gem. Cut and polished jewelry will be more expensive than a stone straight out of the ground. Bigger gems will cost exponentially more, so if your budget is tight, you’ll want to shop around for a smaller piece.

Various uses

Once you have your crystal, there are tons of methods to try. You can go full-on ritual-style meditation with candles and incense, or you can sit quietly with it and allow it to speak its lesson.

Of course, if meditation isn’t your thing, you can still reap the benefits of this lucky stone by wearing it in a pendant or ring. Since it can be pricey, you may want to avoid carrying a loose gem in your pocket.

Because of its value, it’s not often seen as a worry stone. If you happen to have a loose gem and don’t want to risk carrying it around with you, you can make it a special place in your house.

When you’re done meditating with it, it’ll simply go back up there. This can be a display case, charging basin, altar, or even a nice sunny windowsill that’s out of reach for children or pets.

Try to keep in mind that no gem will work the same for everyone. What helps you connect to yourself might block someone else. Ruby is a powerful gemstone that can start a snowball effect of good luck, but it won’t work for you if you don’t put in the effort to do what it’s inspired you to do.

How to Cleanse and Recharge a Ruby

Ruby is a fairly easy stone to recharge. It’s a stable gem, so you’ve got options.

You can smudge it with sage or sweetgrass or wash it with soap and water and leave it in a sunny place to dry. You can imagine the negative energy being burned away by spiritual fire.

Much like a wet phone, rice will soak the negative energy from your stone and leave it sparkling again. Set it in a covered tub of brown rice and leave it overnight. You can set it in a sunny place to recharge in the morning.

Sound is another option. Use a singing bowl to vibrate the negative energy away.

If you don’t have brown rice, a singing bowl, or sage, you can use your own breath. As you breathe out, visualize the bad energy blowing out of your stone and breathe in the positive.

Is Ruby the Best Cancer Birthstone for You?

Ruby is a powerful gem for those who want to boost their confidence and passion. It does well for those who need to stay clear and focused.

Use this stone if you want to bring your life to the pinnacle of success. Those born in the sign of Cancer can use ruby as the sun to their moon. It reminds them to have confidence in their self-worth.

This can be especially useful to a Cancer who doesn’t always express their discomfort in social situations. Ruby also helps them overcome moments when others may be trying to take advantage of them.

You can use ruby to help boost your relationships and energize you for creative work. It’s also great if you’re stuck in a rut. If you prefer something with a bit of a softer approach, then ruby might not be for you.

What to Do if Ruby Doesn’t Vibe With You as a Cancer Birthstone?

Sometimes when we work with a gem, we don’t get the results we were expecting. That’s perfectly okay. Ruby might not be the stone for you, even if it’s your birthstone.

It’s also entirely possible that this gem could be too expensive, and that’s fine too. There are so many different kinds of crystals and boatloads of variation, even in the same stones. There will always be more for you to try.

Ruby tends to work best for those who want to work with it. That said, if you’re giving it your all and things still aren’t moving along as you hoped, there are a few things you can try.

Clean it Up

Ruby is an ancient gem that’s been valued by cultures across the globe for as long as mankind has existed. They tend to get sold and resold all the time.

It’s possible that your stone comes with some leftover junk from the previous owner. Before you try anything else, cleanse and recharge your gem. This will help make sure there’s no leftover excess energy that might clash with your own.

In fact, cleansing should be one of the first things you do when you bring a new stone home. Even the cheapest quartz point at the bottom of the barrel in a crystal shop has been touched by who knows how many people. There’s no sense in trying to work with a gem that’s too coated in someone else’s problems.

Work Into It

Ruby pushes us to be the best version of ourselves we can be, but some can find all that energy a little too much to handle.

If you happen to be one of those people, try easing into ruby’s energy. Make small, cumulative changes to better your life. Maybe take a course on leadership skills while you work with your new gem?

If that’s not an option, you can try changing one more thing for the better in your life every week as you meditate with your ruby. You may find your sessions getting more productive and energetic the more you change.

Try a Different Stone

If all else fails, it’s entirely possible you have the wrong ruby. Rubies come in red, orange, and purple. Some are rough, while others are faceted.

Some stones are loose, while others are set in various metals. You may be working with a ruby in a gold ring when you should be trying a stone in a silver necklace.

You might fit best with an orange raw gem or loose faceted red. This dazzling stone can be a bit expensive for some. You might not be able to just keep buying more, but if you can get your hands on different varieties, it doesn’t hurt.

Of course, if you’ve done everything you can and you’ve had no progress with ruby, then it might be time for a change. Below are a few gems to try if the red gem isn’t your thing.

Secondary Cancer Birthstones

Those born under the sign of Cancer prefer to have a close-knit circle of friends they can form deep, lasting bonds with. They have a similarly small group of crystals they can build a meaningful relationship with.

In essence, if you’re a Cancer and ruby wasn’t your thing, there are still more crystals you can give a go. Keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list. If none of these gemstones jive with you, then there are more stones you can try.

Cancer Birthstone #2: Calcite

blue calcite

Calcite is a crystal that’s usually white but also comes in clear, gray, yellow, orange, pink, green, blue, and brown. While these different colors will perform slightly different jobs, all calcite is a powerful purifier.

It cleanses our emotions and balances mental energy. The pink and green varieties connect strongly to the heart chakra and remind their keepers to let go of unnecessary baggage.

These stones are good for beginners and experienced keepers alike. They have a gentle, uplifting energy that helps us purge any toxic influences from our lives. This can be good for a Cancer who doesn’t always realize when someone is taking advantage of them.

Cancer Birthstone #3: Carnelian

carnelian agate palm stones

This orange semi-translucent stone is another one of those gems that mankind has been working with since the dawn of time. Unlike ruby, however, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get.

It has a strong, stabilizing energy that helps its keeper purge any negative influence from their life. At the same time, carnelian boosts courage and enhances creativity and encourages us to see our own self-worth.

These are all traits a Cancer can appreciate. That goes doubly so for crabs who don’t realize their own self-worth or who have trouble speaking up for themselves. In essence, this crystal is the poor man’s version of ruby.

Cancer Birthstone #4: Rose Quartz

raw rose quartz

Rose quartz might seem like a common gem, and in some ways, it is, but it’s also a powerful beacon of healing and love. This stone is strong enough for an experienced keeper yet gentle enough for the newest crystal enthusiast.

Rose quartz comes in various shades of pink, from almost white to grapefruit. It encourages its keeper to seek out all forms of love. That ranges from platonic to romantic and even includes love of self.

Crabs tend to have trouble expressing their feelings and can be taken advantage of by the wrong partner. Rather than pushing them into a confrontation like some other stones, rose quartz helps them go with the flow. At the same time, it nudges them on the path to healthier partners.

Cancer Birthstone #5: Rainbow Moonstone

 
Rainbow Moonstone NecklaceCancer is a sign that leans toward the emotional. It comes as a surprise to no one that one of their birthstones happens to be the embodiment of feminine energy: the rainbow moonstone.

Rainbow moonstone is a powerful crystal of love and energy. It helps open up the psychic centers and adds a full spectrum of magic to its keeper’s life.

This gem soothes turbulent emotions and inspires creativity. It also enhances intuition, and that means it can help a Cancer realize when something isn’t quite right in their life.

Whether it’s a toxic relationship or an unhealthy amount of time at work, rainbow moonstone helps the crab take a step back so they can balance and refocus their energy.

Buy a Cancer Birthstone Pack

birthstone pack

We always recommend buying a pack or kit that contains a selection of birthstones. 

This pack by Rock Paradise has a handpicked selection of various Cancer birthstones!

Though the kits don’t contain every possible birthstone for your sign, they are an amazing starting point!

Click here to check out these awesome birthstone kits!

Other Horoscope Birthstone guides:​

Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces

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