Turquoise: The Perfect Present for a December Birthday

The birth stone of December is turquoise, a show-stopping azure precious stone that's been capturing eyes and hearts for milliennia. Wearing the birthstone linked to your birthday is believed to give good luck and protection, and what better way to wear it than in a beautiful turquoise bracelet or necklace, handcrafted and finished in Sterling silver or 9ct gold.Turquoise is made from hydrated copper aluminium phosphate and it occurs in which are rich in aluminium. Literally translated it means “Turkish”, a nod to its past when Levantine traders imported the stone into Europe via Turkey. Turquoise is among the small amount of opaque gemstones, giving it a distinctive deep-pigmented colour which can range from green to sky blue depending on its make-up, with or without black veins threaded across the stone referred to as its matrix. Bright blue is the most desired type of the gem stone, an on-trend colour in fashion and jewellery. Turquoise and blue topaz are the birthstones of December, and Turquoise is additionally the traditional jewel for people celebrating their 6th or 11th wedding anniversaries.Turquoise was one of the first semi-precious stones to be excavated, predominantly in the Sinai area of Egypt, Iran, and the United States and Mexico. Having been mined since as long ago as 3,000 BC, understandably resources of the mineral is currently low. This has resulted in replica jewels becoming common in modern jewellery, leading to a higher value placed on genuine turquoise.Turquoise offers a historical past rivalled by no other gem stone. The mummy of Queen Zer, the ancient Eqyptian monarch, was found adorned in vivid turquoise bracelets when she was unearthed in 1900. She had chosen the precious stone to wear for 7,500 years. And think about the famous gold mask of Tutankhamen: it too is set with precious turquoise stones. The reason for its historical prominence is that turquoise has been highly valued by a great number of ancient societies who believed it held strong metaphysical properties. In Asia the gemstone was said to guard from the evil eye, and the Aztecs reserved the stone for the Gods in ceremonial masks. In the sixteenth century American Indians believed that turquoise embodied the spirits of the ocean and sky, using it as a form of currency and also to bring success and protection to warriors and hunters. Even today turquoise is considered to have protective properties. In modern gemstone therapy it is thought to enhance self-confidence and reduce depressive disorders, stomach problems, viral infections and rheumatism. If given as a gift turquoise is viewed as a sign of friendship. Whether you believe in these superstitions or not, it’s difficult not to see the beauty which this eye-catching stone posesses.