December Birthstone Jewellery - Tanzanite & Turquoise

December’s birthstone – Tanzanite & Turquoise

Tanzanite is a magnificent gemstone found in only one part of the world; Tanzania. With its recent discovery, tanzanite does not have any historic meanings. However, with its limited supply and single location, tanzanite has become highly prized for its rarity and beauty – it’s actually rarer than diamond.

A relatively modern stone, tanzanite was discovered in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in the 1960s – and it’s still only found in this one location today. Tanzanite is the exquisite blue variety of the mineral ziosite. Ranging from pale blue to a deep blue with violet undertones, the blue colour is caused by trace amounts of vanadium mixed with extreme heat. Tanzanite measures 6 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.

The word turquoise dates back to the 13th century, from the French expression ‘pierre tourques’, referencing the stone’s journey from Turkey to Europe. Today, the December birthstone is associated with meanings of freshness, femininity, tranquillity, intuition, serenity, creativity, emotional balance, and loyalty.