14 Karat
It’ll be a blue, blue Christmas, especially if you celebrate with December’s birthstones! All three of December’s birthstones have their own hue and shade of blue that cater to all different tastes and styles. December traditionally has three birthstones to choose from: Turquoise, Zircon and Tanzanite.
No matter what your color or taste preferences are, our 14 Karat jewelry experts think all the December birthstone options have a unique and interesting history!
All about turquoise
Turquoise has been an esteemed gem for thousands of years, with many ancient civilizations treasuring turquoise and saving them for only their royalty and most wealthy members. King Tutankhamun is famously remembered for being buried with his turquoise jewels, as well as Aztec chiefs being graced in blue turquoise from head to toe. In fact, it is the excavations of old Egyptian tombs that an admiration for the stone was reaffirmed and its popularity in modern culture increased.
Turquoise is a mesmerizing blue green color that reminded people of the skies and therefore they thought the stone had powers of protection. It is a stone that is sacred in many Native American cultures and would be attached to bows and arrows to ensure a more accurate shot.
For many years the most valuable and sought after turquoise was mined from Persia and Iran. However, nowadays there are some southwestern parts of the United States that have stones mined that compete with the best. Our 14 Karat jewelry experts say that this December birthstone is a relatively soft stone, often ranging between a 5 and 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
All about zircon
Zircon can be an underrated gemstone, sometimes getting confused with cubic zirconia because of the name similarity. However, zircon is a naturally occurring gemstone and that can be found in a multitude of colors! In fact, it is believed that zircon’s name origin either comes from the Persian word zargun meaning “gold-colored,” or the Arabic word zarkun meaning, “vermillion.” Blue zircon is a color that is used as the alternative birthstone for December.
Australia is the oldest source for zircon and to this day still sources around 37 percent of the world’s supply. Zircon is a little bit of a harder stone than turquoise, measuring a 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
All about tanzanite
Tanzanite is a bit of a newcomer when it comes to the world of gems being only first discovered in 1962 in Tanzania. It was even later in 1967 that the true mining source was found and the stones were named after their country of origin. They quickly become popular thanks to their deep, rich and velvety coloring from blue to purple.
Even today, Tanzania is the only place where tanzanite is mined commercially. Our 14 Karat jewelry experts do not recommend tanzanite for everyday wear, but it can make for a beautiful special-occasion piece of jewelry.
Visit Us
While people with birthdays in December can kind of get the short end of the stick and share their birthdays with the holiday season, you can make them feel as special as ever with a gift of jewelry that features one of these amazing birthstone options! Come and visit us at the Shops of Legacy, 168th and West Center Road, to pick out an amazing piece from our collection or create your very own custom jewelry piece!
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