If you were born in December, turquoise is yours: a warm sky-blue that has been worn for protection and good luck for thousands of years. The useful question is not what it is, but how to actually wear it, because turquoise is one of the easiest coloured stones to fold into jewellery you already own.

This guide covers the ways to wear a December birthstone, how to style turquoise with yellow and rose gold, where the stone comes from and which types are worth knowing, and four pieces to start with. For every month and stone, see our birthstones by month chart.

Three ways to wear a December birthstone

As a piece in its own right. The simplest and most striking option: a single turquoise pendant on a fine gold chain, or a turquoise ring worn alone. Because the blue is so distinctive, one piece is usually enough to carry a whole look, and it sits happily with the plain gold you wear every day.

Set small into something personalised. This is the quietest and, to our mind, the loveliest way. A turquoise stone set into an engraved tag, or beside an initial on a pendant, or hung as a small charm from a bracelet. The stone becomes a detail rather than the headline: your month, tucked into a piece that is already personal to you. It is also the natural way to mark more than one person, a stone each for your children, set along a single bar or tag.

Layered and stacked. Turquoise breaks up a stack of plain gold beautifully. Wear a turquoise pendant a little shorter or longer than your everyday chain so the colour sits on its own, or slide a turquoise band between two plain gold rings.

Styling turquoise with your everyday gold

Yellow gold is turquoise's natural partner, and has been for centuries. Warm gold against cool blue is a proper contrast, and it is the pairing that reads most timeless. If you wear yellow gold day to day, a turquoise piece will slot straight in with no rethinking of anything else.

Rose gold is the quietly brilliant option and, we think, underused. The soft pink warmth sits against turquoise's blue-green in a way that feels modern and a little unexpected, and it flatters most skin tones. If you want your December birthstone to look less traditional, this is the pairing.

White gold gives the crispest, coolest look, letting the blue read almost sharp. Worth knowing: turquoise is one of the few stones that genuinely works in all three, so let your existing jewellery decide rather than starting again.

Where turquoise comes from, and the types worth knowing

Turquoise has been mined for at least 6,000 years, which makes it one of the oldest gemstones in human use. The earliest mines were in the Sinai, worked by the Egyptians, and it later reached Europe through Turkey, which is where the name comes from: the French pierre turquoise, or Turkish stone.

Persian turquoise, from the mines around Nishapur in Iran, has historically been the benchmark: an even, intense sky-blue with almost no veining. Sleeping Beauty turquoise, from Arizona, is prized for the same clean, solid blue. Kingman and Bisbee, also Arizonan, are loved for the opposite reason: their dark or reddish-brown veining, called matrix, which traces the rock the stone grew in. When that matrix forms a fine, even web it is called spiderweb turquoise, and it is highly collectable.

One thing worth knowing as a buyer: because turquoise is porous, a great deal of what is sold is stabilised, treated with resin to harden it and hold its colour. That is normal and perfectly good, but untreated natural turquoise is rarer and more valuable, so it is always worth asking which you are buying.

Ways to wear turquoise

See the full turquoise jewellery collection, or browse all birthstone jewellery.

If turquoise isn't for you

December is generous: it has two accepted alternatives. Tanzanite is a transparent violet-blue found in only one place on earth, near Mount Kilimanjaro, which makes it rarer than diamond and a striking choice for something special. Blue topaz is a clear, bright sky-blue that is harder-wearing than both, and the sensible pick if you want December's blue in a ring you never take off.

Caring for turquoise

Turquoise is soft and porous, so treat it as the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Keep it away from perfume, hairspray, lotions and household chemicals, which can dull or discolour it over time. Clean it with a soft, dry cloth only, never a jewellery dip or ultrasonic cleaner. Looked after that way, and set with a protective bezel, a turquoise piece will hold its colour for a lifetime.

December birthstone questions

What is the December birthstone?

The traditional December birthstone is turquoise, a sky-blue stone of protection and good luck. December also has two accepted alternatives: tanzanite, a rare violet-blue, and blue topaz.

How do you wear a December birthstone?

Three ways work best: as a piece in its own right, such as a turquoise pendant on a fine chain; set small into something personalised, like a stone beside an initial or on an engraved tag or charm; or layered and stacked, with a turquoise pendant or ring breaking up plain gold.

Does turquoise go with yellow or rose gold?

Both, beautifully. Yellow gold is the classic pairing, warm gold against cool blue. Rose gold is softer and more modern, and flatters most skin tones. White gold gives the crispest, coolest look. Turquoise is one of the few stones that genuinely suits all three.

Is turquoise blue or green?

It can be either. Turquoise ranges from a pure sky-blue to a warmer blue-green depending on its copper and iron content. The most prized shade is an even, intense sky-blue, often called robin's-egg blue.

What is stabilised turquoise?

Because turquoise is porous, much of it is treated with resin to harden the stone and hold its colour. This is called stabilised turquoise and is completely normal. Untreated natural turquoise is rarer and more valuable, so it is worth asking which you are buying.

Is turquoise good for everyday jewellery?

Yes, with a little care. Turquoise is softer than most gems, so it is best worn as a necklace, pendant or earrings rather than a ring, and set with a protective bezel. Keep it away from perfume and chemicals and it will wear beautifully for years.