Those born in December have a choice between three\nbeautiful gemstones: tanzanite, zircon and turquoise. These gemstones range\nfrom the oldest on Earth (zircon), to one of the first mined and used in\njewellery (turquoise), to one of the most recently discovered (tanzanite). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tanzanite<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanzanite is blue-purple variety of the mineral\nzoisite that is mostly found in Tanzania. Trace amounts of vanadium, mixed with\nextreme heat, cause the blue-purple colour, which ranges from pale blue to\nintense ultramarine with violet undertones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike many well-known gemstones that have been known\nfor centuries, tanzanite is a relatively modern gem. It is thought that Maasai\nherders found these blue crystals in Tanzania in 1967 and notified a prospector\nnamed Manuel d\u2019Souza, who promptly registered claims with the government to\nbegin mining. Initially, the gemstone was thought to be sapphire, but soon\nidentified to be a blue variety of zoisite. Tiffany & Co. became its main\ndistributor and changed the name from blue zoisite to tanzanite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanzanite is thought to bring wisdom, truth, dignity\nand spiritual mastery. In addition to being a birthstone for December it is\nalso gifted for 24th<\/sup> wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zircon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zircon is an underrated gemstone that is often\nconfused with synthetic cubic zirconia due to similar names and shared use as\ndiamond simulants. The name zircon is related to Persian word zargun, which\nmeans gold-coloured. It commonly occurs in brownish red colours, however, it is\noften treated by heat until it becomes colourless, gold or blue. Zircon is the\noldest mineral on Earth, found in crust, common in sands and sedimentary\ndeposits, metamorphic rocks and crystalized magma. It is believed to induce\nsound sleep, ward off evil and bring prosperity and wisdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turquoise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The word turquoise dates back to the 13th<\/sup> century,\ndrawing from the French expression pierre tourques, which referenced the\n\u201cTurkish stone\u201d brought to Europe from Turkey. Ancient Persia was the\ntraditional source for sky blue turquoise. This colour is often called \u201cPersian\nblue\u201d today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turquoise is found in arid regions where rainwater\ndissolves copper in the soil, forming colourful nodular deposits when it\ncombines with aluminium and phosphorus. Copper contributes blue hues, while\niron and chrome add a hint of green. Some turquoise contains pieces of host\nrock, called matric, which appears as dark webs or patches in the material. It\nis sensitive to direct sunlight and solvents like makeup, perfume and natural\noils. Special care is required for turquoise regardless of whether or not it is\nenhanced. The hardest turquoise only measures 6 on the Mohs scale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, cultures around the world have admired the\ndistinct colour of turquoise since ancient times. The earliest evidence comes\nfrom ancient Egyptian tombs. Egyptians set turquoise in gold necklaces and\nrings, used it as inlay and carved it into scarabs. Ancient Persians decorated\nextensively with turquoise, often engraving it with Arabic script. Turquoise\ncovered palace domes because its sky-blue colour represented heaven. This later\ninspired the use of turquoise in buildings like the Taj Mahal. It is said to\npromote mental and spiritual clarity and expansion to enhance wisdom, trust,\nkindness, understanding and even good luck. In addition to being one of the\nbirthstones for December, it is also gifted on the 11th<\/sup> wedding\nanniversary. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Those born in December have a choice between three beautiful gemstones: tanzanite, zircon and turquoise. These gemstones range from the oldest on Earth (zircon), to one of the first mined and used in jewellery (turquoise), to one of the most recently discovered (tanzanite). Tanzanite Tanzanite is blue-purple variety of the mineral zoisite that is mostly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[136,173,174,176,175],"class_list":["post-3000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-birthstones","tag-december","tag-tanzanite","tag-turquoise","tag-zircon"],"yoast_head":"\n