Turquoise — December's Stone
December
Sky blue
Turquoise is a hydrated copper-aluminum phosphate colored blue to green by copper and iron, often veined with dark 'matrix,' and soft at 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale. Iran and the American Southwest are historic sources, with blue topaz and zircon as December alternates.
What tradition gives the turquoise
Gem lore is older than mineralogy and less careful — which is part of its charm. Worn for a birthday month, the turquoise traditionally carries:
- Traditionally associated with protection and good fortune
- A stone of friendship in tradition
Offered as tradition
Meanings here are cultural tradition — a way of giving a stone a story, never a claim about what it does.
The month around it
December's stone keeps company with the month's flower (Narcissus (Paperwhite)), its full moon, the Cold Moon, and the signs that pass through it — Sagittarius and Capricorn.