Turquoise is December's Birthstone

If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don't for real know the point of your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it.

December Birthstone: Turquoise
Birthstone Properties:
Alternative Birthstone: Lapis Lazuli

Apache

Turquoise is the birthstone for December and the original gift to commemorate the 5th and 11th years of marriage. It's color is, of course, is referred to as turquoise, but the hue can range widely from the familiar green-blue to a light sky-blue.

It is generally acceptable that turquoise gets its name from "pierre turquoise" a French phrase meaning "Turkish stone." Others believe that the name comes from the Persian word "fiouze," meaning the color turquoise. antique and yet always at the height of current fashion, turquoise was mined by early Egyptians as early as 6000 Bc.

Many population are surprised to learn that the finest turquoise comes from Iran, not the American Southwest. any way beautiful specimens are also found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, as well as in Australia, Afghanistan and other localities in the Middle East.

Sacred Stone
For thousands of years, turquoise has been appreciated as a holy stone, talisman, and a good-luck-charm. The excavation of Egyptian tombs from roughly 3,000 B.C. Holds the oldest living proof of man's interest in turquoise, where the gemstone was found decorating artifacts that were buried with the dead. When the tomb of Queen Zer was unearthed in 1900, a turquoise and gold bangle was found on her wrist, one of the oldest pieces of jewelry ever discovered!

In antique Persian, the sky-blue gemstones were originally worn around the neck or on the hand as safety to ward off unnatural death. If the stones changed their colour, there was an imminent danger for the wearer.

Turquoise also has a sacred place in the religious rites of North American Indians and by the Tibetans, whose shamans include it in rituals and ceremonies. Turquoise is said to promote reasoning and spiritual clarity to heighten wisdom, trust, kindness, and understanding.

You've Got the Power
Apache Indians believed that turquoise gave warriors and hunters best aim and Zuni tribes believed that it protected them from demons. In Asia, turquoise was considered safety against the evil eye, while Tibetans carved turquoise into ritual objects.

Wherever in the world it is worn and loved, turquoise is believed to promote prosperity

Traveler's Aid
For centuries, turquoise was thought to safe riders and horses from falls. Today the beautiful stone is considered a good luck "charm" for aviators, flight staff and other professionals who need to ward off accidents.

Turquoise's enchanting and happy color is supposed to lend self-confidence to subdued personalities, and it is also very beloved as a token of friendship, since Turquoise is reputed to be responsible for faithfulness and dependable relationships

Turquoise is December's Birthstone