December birthstone
There is no single answer for December. The four standard lists compared below name 6 different stones between them — Bloodstone, Ruby, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Tanzanite, Zircon. Which one is "correct" depends entirely on which list you're using.
| System | Stone(s) |
|---|---|
| Historical (15th–20th century) | Bloodstone, Ruby |
| US 1912 | Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli |
| UK 2013 | Tanzanite, Turquoise |
| US current | Turquoise, Zircon, Tanzanite |
Reading the table: the Historical (15th–20th century) column shows what a pre-standardisation source might have named; the two 20th-century trade lists (US 1912 and UK 2013) each set their own regional standard; and US current is what most US jewelers sell today. None of these four is more "official" than the others — they're just different, dated standards.
Source context for each list
- Historical (15th–20th century): This list predates any single standardising body and varied by source, region, and era — it is presented as historical record, not a fixed tradition.
- US 1912: This is a 20th-century commercial standard set by the US jewelry trade in 1912 (later revised in 1952), not an ancient tradition.
- UK 2013: This list was first published by the UK trade body in 1937 and revised in 2013 — a modern commercial standard, not a historical inheritance.
- US current: This is the current US trade list, extended as recently as 2002 (tanzanite) and 2016 (spinel) — an evolving commercial standard, not a fixed tradition.
Zodiac signs in December
Capricorn and Sagittarius fall within December. Zodiac birthstones are assigned by sign, not by calendar month, under a separate pair of systems that disagree with each other on every sign — see Capricorn and Sagittarius for the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the birthstone for December?
- It depends which list you consult. Across the four systems compared on this page, December is associated with Bloodstone, Ruby, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Tanzanite, Zircon. The current US trade list — the one most US jewelers use today — names Turquoise and Zircon and Tanzanite.
- Why do sources disagree on December's birthstone?
- Because there is no single birthstone authority. The lists shown here were set by different trade bodies in different countries at different times — an unstandardised pre-1912 historical record, the 1912 US trade standard, the UK's 2013 revision, and the current US list, most recently extended in 2016. Each is a real, attributable standard; none of them is "more correct" than the others.
- Which zodiac signs fall in December?
- Capricorn and Sagittarius overlap December. Zodiac-sign birthstones follow separate, sign-based systems rather than the calendar-month lists on this page — see each sign's page for its own comparison.
Sources
Retrieved August 10, 2026.