December's birthstone

How lucky are the people born in December - they have both the Turquoise and the Tanzanite as their birthstones!

Turquoise is known as the Sky Stone by the Native Americans and believed to heal the spirit giving soothing energy and peace of mind.

Measuring 6 on the Mohs' scale of hardness, turquoise was one of the first gemstones ever mined.

Turquoise has been believed to warn the wearer of danger or illness by changing colour.

Mines in the USA have evocative names such as the Sleeping Beauty mine and Kingman mine. The spider web of veins within the stones could be described as "natures' fingerprint".

Tanzanite is the newest gemstone to be allocated as a birthstone and was only discovered in July 1967. A form of Zoisite, it is only found in Tanzania which is why Tiffanys named it Tanzanite during the early 1970s.

It is said to help expand our physical and mental seeing.

Tanzanite measures 6.5 on the Mohs' scale of hardness.

If you were born under the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius (23 November - 22 December), the stone historically associated with your sign is the Topaz.

If you were born under the Zodiac sign of Capricorn (23 December - 19 January), the stone historically associated with your sign is the Ruby.

The custom of wearing birthstone jewellery gained momentum in 18th Century Poland and is thought to stem from an interest in the significance of the original twelve stones in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest, as highlighted by St Jerome in the 5th Century.

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