#December birthstone aquamarine update

Tanzanite is heat treated to bring out its color, which ranges from intense violet-hued blue to a more pure violet.

It's a relatively newly discovered gem and gets its name from the country where it's mined. Zircon is also found in other colors, so if you want to break out of December's birthstone blues, zircon is your path to peach, pink, yellow, colorless, and more.Īnd the newest member of the December birthstone club: tanzanite.

Varying shades of light blue all make for an excellent center stone choice. It's a beautiful, natural gem and is found in a number of different colors, with blue being the most popular. Zircon may be one of the most confused and unfairly maligned gems out there, so let's get this out of the way: zircon is not cubic zirconia. But make sure you choose it with the awareness that it may need replacing as the turquoise wears. For a Southwestern or Boho Chic design, turquoise can be the perfect look, so we won't talk you out of it. It is likely to scratch and some varieties are even more prone to breaking or chipping, due to the beautiful veining that marbles the surface of the stone (referred to as turquoise matrix). Turquoise gets a 'Delicate' wearability rating. Turquoise has been a December birthstone longest, and it's unquestionably beautiful, but it's a riskier choice for a ring. Let's take a look at the three options as choices for a ring's center stone.

#December birthstone aquamarine update

It's also one of the few months that's seen an update to its birthstone list in recent years - tanzanite was just added in the early 2000s.

December's birthstones - tanzanite, blue zircon and turquoiseĭecember is one of only two months with three birthstone options. This article is part of our Birthstone Rings series, where we share the beautiful and varied ways our customers have featured birthstones in their rings.