The month of December is a great time to think back on the past eleven months.
Reflect on the year’s events, the lessons you’ve learned, the beauty you’ve encountered, and the ways you’ve grown both in the midst of challenges and in the face of opportunities. Each December birthstone can serve as a compass during this time, directing you to release what is no longer beneficial, establish goals that are in harmony with your truth, and fearlessly embrace them as the new year approaches. You may also be anticipating this time of year.
We include blue topaz among the three traditional December birthstones—turquoise, tanzanite, and zircon. The birthstone for December is always blue, just like the sky in December. When you think of winter in the North Hemisphere, you probably picture blue stones. You might find a connection with one of these stones, regardless of your birthday this month, because each one has its own distinct physical and metaphysical qualities, regardless of color.
To learn more about the December birthstones, we will break down their meaning and explain how people born this month, can benefit from their metaphysical properties.
Properties of turquoise, the December birthstone of interconnectedness
- Birthstone color: Blue
- Chakra: Throat chakra
- Origin: Varied
Due to copper and aluminum, turquoise’s colors evoke the ocean and sky, from azure to robin’s egg blue and sea green. Sometimes turquoise has veins or splotches that reflect the rock it came from, giving each stone its own characteristics. While turquoise is found worldwide, major deposits are in the US, China, and Iran.
Birthstone meaning and symbolism of turquoise
Many cultures have used turquoise, but Native Americans believed it was a stone of protection and “heavenly purity.” In other countries, turquoise was buried with Egyptian pharaohs and Persian shahs and depicted as Aztec gods, giving it meaning. However, its divine associations are a common thread.
This association persists among crystal experts. When turquoise aligns with the universe, you see yourself as the link between heaven and earth.
Turquoise inspires reverence for the past. We can better honor the past and feel its effects. As such, turquoise can energetically remind us of our connection to Earth and all its inhabitants. This knowledge helps one see the sacred in everyday life and how our actions will affect everything beyond us.
We acknowledge our future in that context. We see ourselves as part of this greater tapestry of life in everything we do, produce, whether it’s offspring or art, and treat others. Understanding our shared responsibility can help people act responsibly.
Most blue stones, including turquoise, are associated with the throat chakra, which governs expression, truth, and communication. The stone can help balance this chakra, which allows us to speak our truth.
The stone also reflects Sagittarius’ traits. As explorers, Sagittarius explores the past, present, and future, and we can do the same as we consider how to take bold steps in the new year.
Properties of tanzanite, the December birthstone of surrender
- Birthstone color: Blue
- Chakra: Crown, third-eye, and throat chakras
- Origin: Tanzania
The rare and valuable gemstone Tanzanite is a blue and purple mineral found only in Tanzania. It’s often mistaken for blue sapphires due to its color and radiance. First discovered in Merelani, Northern Tanzania, in the late 1960s, it has a young history. Though recently discovered, it has its own meaning and symbolism.
Birthstone meaning and symbolism of tanzanite
While turquoise symbolizes our connection to the world, this December birthstone emphasizes our connection to ourselves. Tanzanite is great for meditation, lucid dreaming, and creative processes because it helps us access higher realms of information and deep subconscious spaces. However, it requires us to give up control to receive these messages.
By surrendering to the universe, you make room for innovation. Tanzanite encourages us to break out of cyclical habits and patterns that can prevent us from making necessary changes, let alone imagining them. Because we’re so focused on how things should go, we can’t achieve reflective growth because we’re trying to do things the same way. Working with tanzanite encourages us to stop trying so hard and just see what happens, allowing us to acknowledge that something hasn’t felt right for a long time.
Tanzanite helps us understand and act on subconscious information. It opens the crown chakra, third-eye chakra, and throat chakra and bridges them so you can receive, interpret, and create higher-level information.
Sagittarius benefits from the stone. It can help the zodiac sign learn, but she also says it can help Capricorn and all earth signs. All earth signs have a stubborn, myopic side that hinders flow and ease.
Properties of zircon, the December birthstone of protection
- Birthstone color: Blue
- Chakra: Throat chakra
- Origin: Varied
Zircon, the third December birthstone, is one of the oldest minerals on Earth, dating back to about 4.4 billion years. Scientists have even found “time capsules” in zircon that reveal early Earth’s life-sustaining environments. (A recent study questions whether zircons accurately reveal our planet’s formative stages.)
Colorless zircons can shine as brightly as diamonds and come in yellow, green, red, brown, and blue, the last of which is associated with December. Most zircon is found in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, regardless of color.
Birthstone meaning and symbolism of zircon
Zircon symbolism is rich in mythology. The “stone of virtue” was believed to protect against evil and help people balance their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves.
Zircon promotes energetic field and personal journey ownership. It protects against negative energy (like a friend who always causes trouble) and boosts your power by strengthening the auric field. Zircon is a great stone for developing personal goals and staying on track. Zircon helps clear emotions, especially during times of challenge and overwhelm, which are inevitable.
Zircon is appropriate for December, when many people are setting goals for the new year due to its metaphysical properties. Zircon can support Capricorn’s ambition and goal-setting, possibly because the zodiac’s sea-goat is so.
Properties of blue topaz, the December birthstone of truth and alignment
- Birthstone color: Blue
- Chakra: Crown, heart, and throat chakras
- Origin: Varied
Topaz is a versatile gemstone. Yellow, orange, pink, or no color are possible. Due to its rarity, blue topaz is usually treated to make it bright blue. While yellow topaz is a November birthstone, blue varieties are associated with December.
Birthstone meaning and symbolism of blue topaz
Blue topaz symbolizes truth and balance. This stone helps us express ourselves and share it without sugarcoating words, making it especially useful for those of us who struggle to express our thoughts and emotions clearly. Importantly, it fosters vulnerability.
It encourages us to be bold, courageous, sincere, and not be swayed by larger energies. Blue topaz aligns with the throat chakra, which governs expression, truth, and communication, as well as the crown and heart chakras.
Sagittarius embraces blue topaz’s metaphysics. Sincerity, truthfulness, and boldness in honesty are the biggest qualities of blue topaz, which we can all learn from this Sagittarius season. Capricorn can benefit from the stone by aligning intentions and actions. Being a cardinal sign makes its expression volatile. Blue topaz aids in releasing attachment and recognizing its energetic desire to cultivate and focus on goals.
What exactly are birthstones?
Birthstones are gemstones that represent the month and sign of a person’s birth. Their origins are thought to date back to biblical times, and the first-century historian Flavius Josephus associated the 12 gemstones on Aaron’s breastplate in the Book of Exodus with the 12 zodiac signs. However, the practice of wearing a different gem each month did not begin until the 15th or 16th century in Germany or Poland. Birthstones have also been discovered to have their origins in Eastern culture. A fifth-century Hindu text, the Ratna Pariksha, linked specific gems to deities, celestial bodies, and days of the week, while Vedic astrologers recommend specific gems to individuals based on their astrological birth chart.
The American Council Association of Jewelers (now known as the Jewelers of America) established a standardized list of birthstones in the United States in 1912. The Jewelry Industry Council of America, and later The American Gem Trade Association, updated this list to include new types of birthstones for specific months of the year.
A list of the birthstones for each month of the year
Do you want to choose a crystal that corresponds to the month of your birth? Here’s a rundown of the birthstones for each month of the year:
- January Birthstone: Garnet
- February Birthstone: Amethyst
- March Birthstone: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
- April Birthstone: Diamond
- May Birthstone: Emerald
- June Birthstone: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone
- July Birthstone: Ruby
- August Birthstone: Peridot, Spinel, and Sardonyx
- September Birthstone: Sapphire
- October Birthstone: Opal and Tourmaline
- November Birthstone: Topaz and Citrine
- December Birthstone: Tanzanite, Turquoise, and Zircon
Frequently asked questions
What is the birthstone of December?
While turquoise, tanzanite, and zircon are December birthstones, blue topaz is also considered.
What is the December flower?
The birth flower of the month is narcissus, which symbolizes honor, kindness, prosperity, as well as reflection.
Is the December birthstone rare?
Tanzanite, which is one of the December birthstones, is the rarest of them all, primarily because it’s found only in Tanzania and nowhere else in the world.
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