Facts about Winter Birthdays: Birthstones to Flowers for November and December

For each month of the year, there is a unique gemstone that has been chosen by the American Gemstone Society and traditional flowers to celebrate someone’s birth month. However, for some of the colder months including November and December, there is more than just one official gemstone for each month. Look at November for example; both the golden-yellow Topaz and Citrine gemstones have been chosen for this one month along with the colorful Chrysanthemum flower. However, December takes the cake with a total of three possible blue gemstones: Turquoise, Tanzanite, and Zircon with the traditional Poinsettia flower. If you’re thinking about giving someone their birthstone or a bouquet of flowers for the birthday, there’s a lot you should know and pass down to them about these five gemstones and the different flowers for the birth months of November and December.

Warm November: Topaz, Citrine, and Mums

As everyone slowly begins to feel the year coming to an end and winter beginning, the gemstones and flower for November seem to fit well with the dwindling presence of the sun with one last bit of color. The two gemstones for November, Topaz and Citrine, both have a distinguished golden orange-yellow color close to Amber and can found throughout the world. Topaz can be found in pretty much every continent but this gemstone and Citrine were first discovered in the same place as Topaz on the Mediterranean Island of Topazios.

Topaz actually means “fire” in Sanskrit and an ancient myth exists about it having power. According to the myth, with the gemstone, a person can easily control the temperature of things such as water as well as a person’s emotions. Even though it can be easily found throughout the world, Topaz is therefore commonly used for decorating crowns and other garments for royal families. In fact, Greeks believed Citrine could bring a person to power; Romans thought it could improve the eyesight; and people wore it during the Middle Ages to protect themselves from the plague and evil spirits. During ancient times, people also believed that Citrine has healing properties for the digestive system, kidney, liver, heart and can even help with diseases such as Diabetes.

The flower for November, Chrysanthemum, is often referred to with its nickname, “mum.” A common flower and part of the daisy family, mums can be found in a variety of different colors from yellow, pink, white, to red and a good choice to give for a 13^th wedding anniversary. Perfect for the oncoming winter seasons, this flower symbolizes joy and happiness.

Cool December: Turquoise, Tanzanite, Zircon, and Poinsettia

The blue shades of Turquoise, Tanzanite, and Zircon have been selected as the month’s birthstones for their beauty and rarity. Like any other gemstone, individual stones are unique in their own way from color to cut. For Turquoise especially, the veins on the outside will differ with each stone because of Iron Pyrite, Rhyolite, or Iron Oxide. Turquoise has been worn by different cultures for centuries and even as far back as being used by the Ancient Egyptians. Searching for a similar gemstone, Larimar from the Dominican Republic has a similar beautiful blue shade.

Zircon can be mined in other colors (red is the most popular), however blue is the color of choice for this gemstone. Sunlight can change a Zircon’s luster and when it’s not being worn, it’s best to keep it away somewhere in a box. Maybe that’s why it’s a good gemstone to wear during winter with the lack of sunlight?

The third gemstone, Tanzanite, is extremely rare and can only be found in the same area as its namesake, Tanzania, Africa. According to legend by the Masai tribe, the gemstone used to be brown until a lightning bolt struck the stone and the impact turned it a brilliant blue color.

There’s a lot more to our birthday month’s traditional birthstone and flowers than we may think otherwise. Now that you know a bit more about November and December, you can make someone’s birthday a little more special by sharing with them everyone they need to know about the birthstones and flowers that represent their fall/winter birth month.