December

December's traditional stone is turquoise, one of the oldest gemstones used in jewelry, mined in Persia and Egypt for thousands of years and long associated with protection and good fortune. The 1912 Jewelers of America list added zircon as the modern alternative — a naturally occurring mineral, colorless to blue, that's often confused with cubic zirconia, a lab-made diamond simulant, though the two are unrelated. December has since picked up even more modern options: tanzanite, added by the American Gem Trade Association in 2002, and blue topaz is sometimes cited as well.

December's two birth flowers are narcissus and holly. Narcissus, a form of daffodil that blooms in warm climates even in winter, symbolizes hope and rebirth. Holly, evergreen and berry-red, stands for protection and goodwill, and is tied to the winter solstice and Christmas.