December Birthstone: Turquoise, Tanzanite & Blue Zircon — Guide

By Tolga Kavut, founder of Glamour Jewelry House · Updated September 2026

December is the blue month. It has more official birthstones than any other — turquoise, tanzanite and blue zircon — and every one of them is blue. Turquoise is the elder statesman, worn by Egyptian pharaohs and Persian kings five thousand years ago. Tanzanite is the newcomer, discovered in 1967, added to the birthstone list in 2002, and found in exactly one place on Earth. Blue zircon is the quiet brilliant one, older than any rock it sits in.

Here is all three, with the honest guidance on which December birthstone actually suits how you live.

Shop December birthstone jewelrySee all 12 birthstones

December birthstones at a glance

Turquoise: one of the oldest gems on Earth

Turquoise has been mined and treasured for at least five thousand years, which puts it in a very small club. It was buried with Egyptian royalty, set into the burial mask of Tutankhamun, used in Persian palace domes because the color was believed to bring good fortune, and carved into sacred objects by the Aztecs and by Pueblo and Navajo peoples of the American Southwest, whose silver-and-turquoise work remains one of the great living jewelry traditions.

The name itself is a historical accident: it comes from the French pierre turquoise, “Turkish stone,” because Persian turquoise reached Europe through Turkish trade routes. The finest color is an even robin’s-egg blue; the dark veining many people love is matrix — traces of the host rock — and stones with attractive web-like matrix have their own devoted following.

Tanzanite: found in one place, and running out

Tanzanite’s entire history fits in a single lifetime. It was discovered in 1967 in the Merelani Hills near Mount Kilimanjaro, named by Tiffany & Co., and added to the official birthstone list in 2002 — the second-newest birthstone after August’s spinel. It exists in a mining area of only a few square kilometers, nowhere else on the planet, and geologists estimate the deposit is finite enough that supply will decline within decades.

It also does something beautiful: tanzanite is pleochroic, showing blue, violet and burgundy from different angles, so a cutter must choose which color to favor. Nearly all tanzanite is gently heated to bring out the violet-blue — standard, permanent and disclosed.

Blue zircon: the misunderstood one

First, the correction: zircon is a natural mineral and has nothing to do with cubic zirconia, the synthetic diamond simulant with the unfortunately similar name. Natural zircon has extremely high refractive index and dispersion — it sparkles with a fire close to diamond’s — and some zircon crystals are the oldest known minerals on Earth, dated at more than four billion years. Blue zircon is the December favorite, a vivid sky blue produced by heating brown zircon from Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

Which December birthstone should you choose?

Choose turquoise for character and history — and buy carefully: a great deal of inexpensive “turquoise” is dyed howlite or reconstituted powder. Ask for natural or stabilized turquoise, and know that stabilization (resin hardening) is normal and acceptable for jewelry use.

Choose tanzanite for a jewel-box stone with an extraordinary color and a finite supply story worth telling.

Choose blue zircon for maximum sparkle at a modest price — it outshines both of the others.

Caring for December birthstone jewelry

All three are softer than the corundum months, so treat them accordingly: no ultrasonic cleaners, no steam, no harsh chemicals. Turquoise is porous and will absorb perfume, oils and lotions — it darkens over years of skin contact, which some wearers consider patina and some consider damage. Zircon can abrade at facet edges, so bezels help.

Shop December birthstone jewelry

Every piece is made to order in 18K gold — choose turquoise, tanzanite or blue zircon at checkout for a December birthday, and add a name, initial or date if you’d like it engraved.

Turquoise Natural Stone RingFrom $57 Turquoise Drop Hoop EarringsFrom $57 Natural Birthstone NecklaceFrom $57 Birthstone RingFrom $57 Family Birthstone NecklaceFrom $59 Personalized Birthstone BraceletFrom $59

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December birthstone jewelry: where to start

Every December stone is a softer stone, which makes the recommendation consistent: protect the setting, and favor pieces that don’t take knocks. A bezel-set December birthstone necklace is the piece I steer December customers toward — the metal rim guards a soft stone’s edges, and that blue against gold or silver is unmistakable.

A December birthstone ring is best kept for occasions rather than daily wear, particularly with turquoise. And in a family birthstone necklace or a personalized birthstone bracelet, a December stone is the cool blue note that finishes the year — and, fittingly, the last birthday on the calendar.

December birthstone questions

What is December’s birthstone?

December has three: turquoise, tanzanite and blue zircon. All three are blue, and turquoise is the traditional classic.

What color is the December birthstone?

Blue. Turquoise is robin’s-egg to greenish blue, tanzanite is violet-blue, and blue zircon is a vivid sky blue.

Why does December have three birthstones?

Turquoise and zircon are traditional; tanzanite was added by the American jewelry trade in 2002, the first new birthstone since 1952.

Is tanzanite really found in only one place?

Yes — a small mining area in the Merelani Hills of northern Tanzania, near Mount Kilimanjaro. It has been found nowhere else on Earth.

Is zircon the same as cubic zirconia?

No. Zircon is a natural mineral with diamond-like fire, and some zircon crystals are over four billion years old. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic lab-made simulant with a confusingly similar name.

Birthstones for every month

Each month has its own guide to its stone, color and meaning — or start with the complete birthstones by month chart.

• January birthstoneGarnet · Deep red
• February birthstoneAmethyst · Violet purple
• March birthstoneAquamarine · Sea blue
• April birthstoneDiamond · Colorless
• May birthstoneEmerald · Vivid green
• June birthstonePearl · Cream white
• July birthstoneRuby · Rich red
• August birthstonePeridot · Olive green
• September birthstoneSapphire · Royal blue
• October birthstoneOpal · Play-of-color
• November birthstoneTopaz · Golden yellow
• December birthstoneTurquoise · Robin’s-egg blue

You might also like

• September birthstone — sapphire, December’s deepest blue rival
• March birthstone — aquamarine, the sea-blue birthstone
• January birthstone — garnet, the stone that starts the year