Blue Gemstones
The Birthstones for December
December 1st - 31st
You have many gemstone choices for the December birthstone, but they all share one common trait: the color blue. Blue is calming. It can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. A natural color, from the sky, blue is a universal color. Almost everyone likes some shade of the color blue, making blue the most popular color in the world.
BLUE ZIRCON
Zircon occurs in a wide range of colors, but for many years the most popular was the colorless variety, which looks more like diamond than any other natural stone because of its brilliance and dispersion. Although Zircon's existence predates Cubic Zirconia by centuries, Zircon is often unfairly confused with Cubic Zirconia. Cubic Zirconia is a cheap, synthetic Diamond substitute that resembles colorless Zircon and has a similar sounding name. While white Zircon may also be used as an excellent Diamond substitute, it is valuable in its own right.
Today the most popular color is blue zircon, which is commonly used as the birthstone for December. Most blue zircon is of a pastel blue, but some exceptional gems have a bright blue color. Zircon is also available in green, dark red, yellow, brown, and orange. Zircon's brilliant luster, fire and bright hues make it an enjoyable addition to any jewelry collection.
Fun Facts:
- Zircon has been found in some of the most ancient archaeological sites.
- Zircon is first mentioned in the ancient Indian tale of the Kalpa Tree.
- Described by Hindu poets as the ultimate gift to the gods, it was a bright glowing tree with bejeweled leaves of Zircon.
- Zircon's popularity grew dramatically in the 16th century when Italian artisans featured the gem in jewelry designs.
- The fire in Zircon, called dispersion, is caused by light entering the gemstone and separating into a prism of rainbow colors. Possessing dispersion approaching that of Diamond, the brilliance of Zircon is second to none.
- The Zircon cut, a variation of the Round Brilliant cut that adds eight extra facets to the pavilion, was designed to take advantage of these properties.
TURQUOISE
Turquoise is almost always opaque and polished as cabochons but rare, translucent gems also exist. The turquoise is ancient, yet again and again it finds itself back in fashion. Its shining sky blue is one of the most popular trend colors in the world of jewelry and fashion.
Fun Facts:
- Turquoise was one of the first gemstones ever mined, dating back to 6000 BC in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
- Turquoise has been used for thousands of years as jewelry by the ancient Egyptians, who buried fine pieces with mummies. When the tomb of Queen Zer was unearthed in 1900, a Turquoise and Gold bracelet was found on her wrist, making this one of the oldest pieces of jewelry on earth!
- In Mexico, the Aztecs began mining Turquoise between 900-1000 AD, often fashioning it into elaborate masks.
- The Navajo believed that Turquoise had fallen from the sky and thus also protected them from demons, while Apache warriors believed that wearing Turquoise improved their hunting prowess. Apache legend has it that if Turquoise was affixed to a bow, the arrows shot from it would always hit their mark. All these tribes believed that Turquoise brought good fortune and happiness.
- In Europe even today, Turquoise rings are still given as forget-me-not gifts.
- Turquoise should be protected from cosmetics, heat and bright light. It is best to give it a clean from time to time with a soft cloth.
TANZANITE
Displaying an aurora of stunning blues and violets, Tanzanite's popularity is well deserved. A thousand times rarer than Diamonds and with a little over a decade of mine life remaining, Tanzanite is the fashion gem of the millennium. While Tanzanite might not yet be the stuff of legends, being discovered a mere 40 years ago, this gorgeous gem has already attracted more attention and gossip than any modern-day celebrity.
Fun Facts:
- As Tanzanite crystals occur with reasonably few inclusions, the standard is eye-clean.
- In 1967, the legendary Scottish geologist, Campbell R. Bridges, was the first person to bring Tanzanite to the US for identification by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Laboratory.
- Tanzanite quickly found its way to American jewelers, arriving at the New York-based jewelers Tiffany & Co.
- At Tanzanite's official launch in October 1968, Platt remarked that it "was the most beautiful blue gemstone discovered in over 2,000 years." Heralded as "the gemstone of the 20th century," Tanzanite's blue-purple fire soon took the world by storm and demand for Tanzanite jewelry grew dramatically, until in 1998 and 1999 Tanzanite was proclaimed the world's best selling colored gemstone. Today, the demand for Tanzanite continues, outstripping sales of all other colored gemstones, with the exception of Sapphire.
- In recognition of its popularity, in 2002 Tanzanite was added to the jewelry industry's official birthstone list. This saw Tanzanite join Turquoise and Zircon as accepted birthstones for December.
- Now an official birthstone, Tanzanite is increasingly regarded as the ideal gem to celebrate new life and new beginnings.
BLUE TOPAZ
Topaz is an inherently romantic gem and comes in yellow, yellow-brown, honey-yellow, flax, brown, green, blue, light blue, red and pink ... and sometimes it has no color at all.
As well as the renowned Sky Blue Topaz, the more intense coloring of Swiss Blue and London Blue Topaz are also becoming increasingly popular. The varieties of blue topaz are commonly used as an alternative December birthstone.
Fun Facts:
- Mined from both host rock and alluvial deposits, its unique crystal structure makes Topaz a hard and dense gemstone. Because of this, pure colorless Topaz has often been mistaken for Diamond.
Weighing 1,680 carats, the huge Braganza gemstone mounted into the Portuguese crown jewels was originally thought to be a Diamond - in fact it is a beautiful clear Topaz.
November 2011, Breitling has just arrived in Woodlands!
About Breitling
It was 1884 when 24 year old Léon Breitling founded the watch manufacturer that would become the standard-bearer for pilots and navigators worldwide. As a pioneer in aviation timekeeping, Breitling has continued to produce wristwatches of distinction. Breitling's renowned Chronomat, introduced in 1942 was the first watch to incorporate a circular slide rule. A Breitling timepiece is instantly recognizable for its large case and disctinctive bezel.
TW Steel Honours 5-Time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan
November 2011. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In celebration of one of the greatest motorcycle road racing careers ever, TW Steel, the Dutch brand ‘Big in Oversized Watches’, is delighted to introduce the TW Steel Mick Doohan Special Edition, honouring the legendary Australian and his achievements in capturing five consecutive 500cc World Championships (now known as MotoGP) from 1994-1998.
The 45-year-old from Brisbane joins fellow motor racing greats, Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 & 1974 Formula One World Champion) and Dario Franchitti (2007, 2009 & 2010 IndyCar Series Champion) in becoming a global ambassador for ‘The Watch in Steel’ while sharing in having his very own special edition timepiece produced by the Amsterdam-based brand.
Available in 45mm (TW612) and 48mm (TW613) executions, the TW Steel Mick Doohan Special Edition is based on the in-demand TECH Collection, with enhanced features making it unique across the range and specific to the design inputs directly from Doohan himself.
“This is a great project for me to be involved in and a great brand to represent,” enthused Doohan. “I’ve followed TW Steel with interest due to their involvement in motorsport and I obviously jumped at the chance to work with them on a Special Edition when the opportunity presented itself. I loved the fact they were responsive to my comments on the design and I’m proud to put my name on a watch that is visually strong, well built and ultimately affordable!”
“Mick Doohan’s on-track pedigree is well documented but we were interested in forging our relationship with him based on his personality and global appeal,” stated Stewart Bain, TW Steel’s Chief Commercial Officer. “As a world renowned and respected sportsman, Mick’s popularity is huge but more importantly he embodies all that we love at TW Steel. He’s dedicated, passionate about all that he does and has a lifestyle that is truly aspirational.”
Featuring a steel sandblasted matt case with PVD dark titanium plating and off-set with shiny steel screws on the bezel, the stylish grey dial sports Doohan’s name while the tachymeter numbers and second hand stand-out in a bold red. A first for TW Steel comes in the form of the case pillars, connecting the bezel to the case-back, taking the design of motorcycle shock absorbers, these too have an elegant shine-finish as do the pushbuttons and mid-piece crown. These features, combined with the matt case, undoubtedly add to its desirability.
The watches also feature a Miyota OS25 chronograph movement, measuring time accurate to 1/20th of a second, with reinforced mineral crystals featuring a sapphire layer further bolstering its appeal. Water resistant to 10ATM, each piece boasts a black silicon strap with anti-dust layer protection.
TW Steel continues to develop and lead the oversized watch market. A family-owned company, headed by 28-year-old CEO and co-owner, Jordy Cobelens, TW Steel stands out as an innovative, bold lifestyle brand – now available in over 80 countries worldwide.
Press Release by TW Steel: www.twsteel.com