Personal Consultation
By Benji, Content ManagerThe month of December has not one, not two, but three birthstones and they have one thing in common: they are all blue. Yes, blue is the color of December and those born during this month have a nice selection of three stunning birthstones, which include turquoise, blue topaz, and tanzanite, to choose from. Similar to the blue diamonds, each one of these stones has their own unique features, history, and natural beauty. Here is a closer look at these gemstones and their places in contemporary jewelry pieces.
Turquoise
Known and valued as a gemstone for thousands of years, the turquoise stone’s original sources, Egypt and Sinai, have exhausted their production and so most of today’s turquoise stones come from Iran. The stones were originally sent to Europe through Turkey. This explains the stone’s name, which means Turkish in French. The great appeal of this stone is its sky blue color, but because it is relatively soft, only 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale, it requires special care.
Blue Topaz
In contrast to turquoise, blue topaz ranks 8 on the Mohs scale. Topaz comes in many different colors but is well known for its remarkable blue variety. Other colors include clear, brown, yellow, orange, red, and pink. Blue topaz stones can display a blue color that is anywhere from pale to medium blue. The color is caused by irradiation. Blue topaz stones are attractive choices due to their large sizes and affordable prices.
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Blue Topaz |
Tanzanite
The saying goes, save the best for last, and in this case, tanzanite really is the most stunning of the three. This stone holds such importance that it was added to December’s birthstones in 2002. Not only is Tanzanite the most recent December birthstone but also the most recently discovered. It was first found in 1967 in Tanzania, which remains the only source for the unique stone. LEIBISH recently added a fabulous tanzanite jewelry line to its already irresistible line of color diamond jewelry.
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The LEIBISH 5.55-Carat Heart Tanzanite White and Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Pendant |
The three blue gemstones mentioned above are the modern birthstones for December. The more traditional birthstones for the last month of the year include blue zircon and lapis lazuli. These stones are also blue but quite different from one another. The former is more crystal-like, similar to the tanzanite stone and the latter is more stone-like, closer to the turquoise stone. December-born individuals have many options when it comes to birthstone jewelry, but these stones are also available for anyone who loves the color blue.
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