December has four birthstones, more than any other month: turquoise, tanzanite, zircon and blue topaz. All four are blue. Turquoise is the traditional one and has been on the list since it was first drawn up in 1912. Tanzanite is the newest, added in 2002. Blue topaz is the hardest of the four and usually the cheapest, which is why it's the stone you'll find in most affordable December birthstone jewellery. The December birth flowers are holly and narcissus, with poinsettia on some charts.
Any of them is correct. If you're choosing one for a gift, what matters is the shade of blue she likes and how much knocking about the stone is going to get.
The four December birthstones at a glance
| Stone | Colour | Hardness (Mohs) | On the list since | Daily wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turquoise | Opaque sky blue to green-blue, often veined | 5–6 | 1912 | Gentle use; keep it away from perfume |
| Tanzanite | Blue that tips into violet as it moves | 6–7 | 2002 | Pendants and earrings rather than rings |
| Zircon | Bright blue, very sparkly | 6–7.5 | 1952 | Good, though facet edges can chip |
| Blue topaz | Pale sky blue to deep London blue | 8 | Modern jewellers' charts | The toughest of the four |
The Mohs scale runs from talc at 1 to diamond at 10, and it matters more than it sounds. Ordinary household dust contains quartz, which sits at 7. Any stone softer than that slowly picks up fine scratches and loses its polish if it's worn every day.
Turquoise: the traditional one
Ask anyone's nan what the December birthstone is and she'll say turquoise. People have worn it for thousands of years (the Egyptians set it in gold), and the name is old French for "Turkish stone", after the trade route that first carried it into Europe.
It's also the odd one out. Turquoise is opaque rather than sparkly, fairly soft and slightly porous, so perfume, hand cream and chlorinated water can shift its colour over the years. Much of what's sold today is "stabilised", which means treated with resin to seal it. If you do buy turquoise, put it on after perfume, not before, and take it off for the shower.
It suits someone with a relaxed, slightly boho style who wears jewellery for an evening out rather than round the clock.
Tanzanite: the newcomer
Tanzanite turned up in 1967 in the Merelani Hills of northern Tanzania, within sight of Kilimanjaro. As far as anyone knows, that small patch of ground is still the only place it's mined. Tiffany & Co. gave it its name and launched it the following year, and in 2002 it was added to the birthstone list.
The colour is why people fall for it: a blue that tips into violet as you turn it and deepens under candlelight. It's also by far the most expensive of the four, and a little brittle. A pendant or a pair of earrings is a safer home for it than a ring that gets knocked against a desk all day.
Zircon: not the same as cubic zirconia
This one confuses everyone, jewellers' websites included. Zircon is a natural mineral, and an ancient one: grains of zircon found in Western Australia are around 4.4 billion years old, among the oldest pieces of the Earth ever dated. Cubic zirconia, the CZ in most affordable jewellery, is a lab-made material that borrowed the name. The two aren't related.
Blue zircon is almost always brown zircon that's been heat-treated. It throws more rainbow sparkle than nearly any other natural stone, closer to a diamond than you'd expect at the price. The weak spot is its facet edges, which wear and chip, so an old zircon ring often looks slightly fuzzy at the corners. Zircon took over from lapis lazuli as a December stone in 1952.
Blue topaz: the everyday one
Blue topaz is the stone on most affordable December birthstone jewellery, ours included. It wasn't on the original 1912 list, but most modern jewellers' charts carry it, and on gem forums it's the usual answer to "which one is the real December stone?" because it's affordable and the colour suits nearly everyone.
Nearly all blue topaz starts out colourless and is turned blue by treatment. The colour is stable, and the whole trade does it. It comes in three named shades. Sky blue is pale, like a clear winter morning. Swiss blue is brighter and more saturated. London blue is deep and inky, with a hint of grey. At 8 on the Mohs scale, blue topaz copes with daily wear better than any other December stone.
Why does December have so many birthstones?
Because nobody is formally in charge of the list. The modern chart began with American jewellers in 1912, who gave December turquoise and lapis lazuli. It was revised in 1952, when zircon replaced lapis, and again in 2002, when tanzanite joined. Blue topaz arrived through the trade rather than a committee: it's hard-wearing, cheap enough and exactly the right colour, so jewellers started listing it.
British jewellers broadly follow the same list, which is why a UK chart and an American one usually agree on December. The one constant is the colour. Pick any blue stone for a December birthday and you won't be wrong.
Born on a particular date?
Birthstones go by month, not by day. Someone born on 1 December and someone born on 29 December share the same four stones.
If you've seen a different stone suggested for a late-December date, that's the zodiac stone, which comes from a separate list. December is split between Sagittarius (up to 21 December) and Capricorn (from 22 December). Zodiac charts vary even more than birthstone charts, but Sagittarius is most often given topaz or turquoise, and Capricorn garnet, which is also January's birthstone. For someone born between Christmas and New Year, a deep red garnet is a reasonable alternative to blue.
December birth flowers: holly and narcissus
Holly is the December flower on most British charts, and the reason is easy to see: it's one of the few plants still green and covered in berries when everything else in the garden has given up. People were bringing it indoors in winter for luck and protection long before it turned up on Christmas cards.
Narcissus is the other, usually the paperwhite, a small scented white narcissus that flowers indoors in midwinter. Birth flower charts tie it to hope and good wishes. Some charts, mostly American ones, give December the poinsettia instead, the red Christmas plant that originally came from Mexico.
Our birth flower pieces use holly for December, apart from the bracelet that pairs a flower with a birthstone, which uses poinsettia. Each product page shows the flower in its dropdown, so you'll know which one you're getting before you order.
December birthstone gifts
First, a straight answer about our stones. They're coloured crystals cut in each month's shade, not mined gemstones, and every product page says so. On all our birthstone pieces, December is a sky blue crystal in the blue topaz shade. If you want a certified tanzanite, a jeweller who deals in gems is the right place to go. For a birthday present that gets worn every day, the colour and the meaning tend to matter more than the mineral.
Just the month. The Birthstone Initial Bracelet (£39.90) is a small gold initial, about 5 mm tall, next to a sky blue crystal on an 18 cm chain. It's the cheapest piece here and the hardest to get wrong.
For a mum of December babies. The Birthstone Initial Necklace (from £49.90) takes up to four initials and up to four birthstone crystals on a 40 cm chain, so each child can have their own month. One initial and one stone is £49.90, and each extra initial or stone adds £5. Two children's initials with their two stones comes to £59.90.
Stone and flower together. The Personalised Birth Flower Bracelet with Birthstone (£49.90) pairs a gold poinsettia with a crystal in the blue topaz shade. It adjusts from 16 to 20 cm, so you don't have to measure her wrist in secret.
Holly and a name. Three pieces put a gold sprig of holly beside a name written in script. The Horizontal Birth Flower Name Necklace (£59.90) runs the name sideways along the chain. On the Personalised Name Necklace with Birth Flower (£59.90) the name hangs down the flower's stem instead. Both come in lengths from 35 to 55 cm. The Personalised Birth Flower Name Bracelet (£49.90) is the bracelet version, with up to nine letters, in 17 or 21 cm.
Buying for a birthday near Christmas
Anyone born in late December knows the "this one's for both" present, and most of them would quietly prefer two. A birthstone piece is about as clearly a birthday present as anything gets. It's their month on a chain. Give it on the day, and wrap it in paper that isn't covered in reindeer.
On timing: UK delivery is free and takes roughly 5 to 12 working days, and personalised pieces are made to order, so they sit at the longer end. Royal Mail and Evri both slow down in December. For anything you need before Christmas, order by the end of November, and for a birthday in the first week of December, a little earlier than that.
FAQ
What is the birthstone for December?
December has four: turquoise, tanzanite, zircon and blue topaz. Turquoise is the traditional stone, and blue topaz is the one you'll see most in affordable jewellery.
What colour is the December birthstone?
Blue. Turquoise is opaque sky blue to green-blue, tanzanite is violet-blue, zircon is a bright, sparkly blue and blue topaz runs from pale sky blue to deep London blue.
What is the true December birthstone?
Turquoise has the longest claim, as it was on the original 1912 list. Zircon (1952) and tanzanite (2002) were added later, and blue topaz is a modern jewellers' addition. None of them is wrong.
Is blue topaz a December birthstone?
Yes, on most modern charts, although it wasn't on the 1912 list. It's the hardest of the four December stones and usually the most affordable.
What is the December birthstone in the UK?
The same as elsewhere. UK jewellers most often list turquoise and tanzanite, with zircon and blue topaz as alternatives.
What is the December birth flower?
Holly and narcissus, usually the white paperwhite. Some charts, mostly American ones, use the poinsettia.
What is the birthstone for 29 December?
The same as for the rest of December, because birthstones go by month. If you mean the zodiac stone, 29 December falls under Capricorn, which is usually given garnet.
Looking for another month? Our birthstones by month guide has the full chart, flowers included. You can see the birth flower pieces side by side in the birth flowers collection, or browse the full range of personalised jewellery.
