Blue Topaz, Zircon, and Tanzanite – The December Birthstone Trio

Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise are all known for their beautiful shades of blue.

Tanzanite is a blue variation of zoisite, it is only found in Tanzania, it was recently discovered in 1967. The color of blue changes depending on the viewing angle. Most tanzanite is heat treated to diminish brown hues that may be present in some gems. Some of the blue colors can rival the most beautiful blue hues of sapphire.  Tanzanite can be found only within a few square miles of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is softer than sapphire and is best suited for earrings or pendants and not so many rings as they tend to get more bumps and scrapes in daily use.

Zircon can be found in colors of orange, red, yellow and blue. The blue variety is the most desired and it is this color that is most closely associated with being a December birthstone. Zircon is one of the oldest gems found on earth. Some zircon from Australia has been dated back over 4 billion years.  Australia leads the world’s mining of Zircon. Metaphysically Zircon has been used to promote sleep, prosperity and ward off evil. Although it is hard on the MOHS scale it can be prone to chipping. This would be the best gem for rings, but you’d want to be careful of hard hits to the gem.

Turquoise would be the most recognized of the three December birthstones. Turquoise ranges from blue to almost green in color. The light blue variety is perhaps the most common recognized around the world. The United States is the worlds largest supplier of turquoise. It is mainly found in New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Colorado. It is widely used in Native American jewelry. It was also widely used among the Aztecs. Turquoise found in other regions has been used in Egyptian and Persian jewelry. Copper is what primarily promotes the blue color. It is a soft gemstone. It is widely used in any type of jewelry but you’ll have to be careful in use.

The best choice for fine jewelry would be zircon followed by tanzanite then turquoise. It’s all mainly due to personal preference and desired attributes you’d like to see in your custom jewelry piece.  Any of these are great choices for earrings and pendants. The harder gems, zircon, and tanzanite might be better choices for rings. If you’d like to get a December Birthstone piece made just give us a call at (210) 490-2404 or use the custom jewelry design form. Any piece we design for you can be viewed through computer imaging before it is manufactured. A great option to make sure you’re going to love your piece before it’s made.

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