December Birthstones | Turquoise, Zircon & Tanzanite

I have to say, blue has always been a popular colour in gemstones. And for December babies, you are in luck! Because all your birthstones are blue, and yes, it’s not just one but three BIRTHSTONES!

1) Turquoise

The first one is turquoise, it is one of the oldest gems that have been mined. Its history can be dated back to 6000BC. Particularly in Iran, this beautiful gem has been mined for over 3000years.

This opaque mineral has a beautiful aqua-ish blue to green hue, mostly with a brown-ish golden vine that is caused by having copper in its structure.

Since turquoise hardness is only 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale, many of the large specimens are used as ornamental stones. However, the very fine grades are rare and hard to find, gem-quality ones are used in jewellery. Some of them are smooth and clean on the surface. A lot of gem lovers love turquoise for its unique pattern, as its matrices make each of them a one of a kind gem.

2) Zircon

The second December birthstone is Zircon. This vitreous gem was first discovered in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1789, which is still the most productive location in nowadays for finding Zircon.

For many people, this gem has been mistreated as a diamond simulant or confuse with another synthesized stone simply because of its similar name, cubic zirconia.

However, Zircon is a transparent, bright and gorgeous gem from mother nature. It’s harder than turquoise, which has a hardness of 6 to 7.5.

Zircon comes in many colours. Colourless zircons have a brilliance and dispersion (fire) similar to diamonds, so for hundreds of years, it has been confused with diamonds.

Moreover, in many jewellery designs, blue zircons have been used for its bright blue colour. So for December babies, getting yourself a piece of blue zircon jewellery would be a fine choice as a birthday plus Christmas gift.

3) Tanzanite

Now down to the third blue gem of this month, which is sort of a baby in the December birthstones. That is Tanzanite. This purple-ish blue gem attracts the world because of its rich and vivid hue.

This bluestone was discovered in 1962 and identified as a family member of Zoisite. However, it was not until 1967, that the primary source of Tanzanite was found, which was the Merelani Hills in Tanzania. Hence, where the name of the gem comes from.

For the gemological world, it was one of the most exciting finds in the 20th century. And it’s so lucky for December babies to have it as a birthstone. Tanzanite’s hardness is close to Zircon, which is 6 to 7, so it has been set in jewellery mostly.

All the above three gemstones have amazing body colours and certainly look stunning in jewellery pieces. Yet due to their hardness, they are not the most resistant and strong. Looking after them requires a bit more care. For instance, you can’t clean them through ultra-sonic cleaning and you will need taking them during showers, sports or washing dishes.

Hope you enjoy these blues treasures as much as we do, and as always, admire the work of mother earth.

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