Turquoise is the birthstone for December.
It is the oldest precious stone having first been set into jewellery 7,000 years ago. The Aztecs and Incas believed it could bring good fortune, and it is often thought to bring long life to the wearer.
The names comes from the fact that turquoise first came to Europe from Turkey along with other valuables from the silk road.
Turquoise can be a variety of different shades of blue, with the most valuable being the colour of an American robin's egg (a strong sky blue.) A lot of modern turquoise is treated to improve the colour.
Turquoise is quite a soft stone in comparison to many gemstones, and can also fade in light over time. Older turquoise is often a softer, greenish colour and can be very lovely although more subtle.
My orbit stacking rings with turquoise are one of my more popular pieces, the teeny pop of blue is really cute and adds a pop of brightness.
I tend to think of turquoise as a summer stone, I'm not exactly sure why, but it is interesting that it is the choice for December.