December Birthstone: Tanzanite

About Tanzanite: the December Birthstone

The December birthstone is a choice between three stones in our catalog: tanzanite, topaz and turquoise. Tanzanite leads this page. It is a blue to violet stone that comes from a single area of northern Tanzania, and its color is usually produced by heating. It measures about 6.5 on the Mohs scale and shows different colors from different angles, so it does best in pendants, earrings and protected ring settings such as bezels and halos.

Blue topaz is a clear sky-blue gem. Topaz measures 8 on the Mohs scale, which is hard enough for daily wear in rings, pendants and earrings. It has one direction of cleavage, so a sharp knock against a corner can chip it, and a setting that shelters the edge of the stone protects it.

Almost all blue topaz on the market owes its color to treatment. Colorless topaz is irradiated and heated, which produces the pale sky blue, the vivid Swiss blue and the deeper, greener London blue. The color is stable in normal wear, so treatment is worth knowing about but is not a flaw.

Turquoise is an opaque blue-green stone at 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale. It is porous and often stabilized with resin, so it is usually cut as a smooth cabochon and belongs where it will not meet lotion, oils or soap. Pendants and earrings suit it better than a ring worn every day.

Setting matters as much as the stone. Yellow gold warms tanzanite and turquoise, and white gold and platinum keep blue topaz crisp and cool. Whichever stone you choose, a bezel or a halo covers the edges that a softer or cleavable gem is most likely to chip.

Why buy tanzanite from ATL Luxury Jewelry?

ATL Luxury Jewelry has been open since 2008 and has 300+ five-star Google reviews. Tanzanite, topaz and turquoise each behave differently on the hand, and we will tell you which suits a ring, a pendant or a pair of earrings before you choose.

Cleaning, inspection and prong tightening are free in store, which matters for stones that chip or scratch more easily than a diamond. Engraving is free at purchase, and resizing, polishing and repairs are covered by our care plans. Catalog pieces are made to order, and we design custom pieces with you in the showroom, so book a design consultation to see December stones in person.