Here it is - the final month of the year. I don't know about you, but for me this year flew by so quickly. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family :)
I'll be posting first December competition later today or tomorrow (don't worry, you'll have enough time for it).
I'll be posting first December competition later today or tomorrow (don't worry, you'll have enough time for it).
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars. It is the seventh and last month to have the length of 31 days.
December got its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.
December contains the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours (excluding polar regions in both cases). December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the astronomical winter is traditionally 21 December or the date of the solstice and the beginning of the astronomical summer in the Southern hemisphere.
December got its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.
December contains the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours (excluding polar regions in both cases). December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the astronomical winter is traditionally 21 December or the date of the solstice and the beginning of the astronomical summer in the Southern hemisphere.
December's birthstones are the turquoise, zircon, and tanzanite.
December's birth flower is the narcissus.
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8�4H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times, turquoise has been devalued, like most other opaque gems, by the introduction onto the market of treatments, imitations, and synthetics.
Known by many names, the word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois for "Turkish" because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey, from mines in the historical Khorasan Province of Persia. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl.
Some of the locations where turquoise is/was mined include Iran, Sinai peninsula, parts of the USA (Nevada, New Mexico, California and Arizona), Afghanistan, parts of Australia (Victoria and Queensland), and many others.
December's birth flower is the narcissus.
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8�4H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times, turquoise has been devalued, like most other opaque gems, by the introduction onto the market of treatments, imitations, and synthetics.
Known by many names, the word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois for "Turkish" because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey, from mines in the historical Khorasan Province of Persia. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl.
Some of the locations where turquoise is/was mined include Iran, Sinai peninsula, parts of the USA (Nevada, New Mexico, California and Arizona), Afghanistan, parts of Australia (Victoria and Queensland), and many others.
Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4.
The name derives from the Persian zargun meaning gold-hued. This word is corrupted into "jargoon", a term applied to light-colored zircons. The English word "zircon" is derived from "Zirkon," which is the German adaptation of this word. Yellow, orange and red zircon is also known as "hyacinth", from the flower hyacinthus, whose name is of Ancient Greek origin.
Zircon occurs in many colors, including reddish brown, yellow, green, blue, gray and colorless. The color of zircons can sometimes be changed by heat treatment. Common brown zircons can be transformed into colorless and blue zircons by heating to 800 to 1000 �C. In geological settings, the development of pink, red, and purple zircon occurs after hundreds of millions of years, if the crystal has sufficient trace elements to produce color centers. Color in this red or pink series is annealed in geological conditions above temperatures of around 400�C.
Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate) belonging to the epidote group. The gemstone was discovered by Manuel d'Souza in the Mirerani Hills of Manyara Region in Northern Tanzania in 1967, near the city of Arusha and Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzanite is only found in Tanzania, in a very small mining area (approximately 7 km long and 2 km wide) near the Mirerani Hills.
Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately blue, violet and burgundy depending on crystal orientation. Tanzanite can also appear differently when viewed under alternate lighting conditions. The blues appear more evident when subjected to fluorescent light and the violet hues can be seen readily when viewed under incandescent illumination. In its rough state tanzanite is usually colored a reddish brown, and much of it requires heat treatment to remove the brownish "veil" and bring out the blue violet of the stone.
In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose tanzanite as a December birthstone, the first change to their birthstone list since 1912.
The name derives from the Persian zargun meaning gold-hued. This word is corrupted into "jargoon", a term applied to light-colored zircons. The English word "zircon" is derived from "Zirkon," which is the German adaptation of this word. Yellow, orange and red zircon is also known as "hyacinth", from the flower hyacinthus, whose name is of Ancient Greek origin.
Zircon occurs in many colors, including reddish brown, yellow, green, blue, gray and colorless. The color of zircons can sometimes be changed by heat treatment. Common brown zircons can be transformed into colorless and blue zircons by heating to 800 to 1000 �C. In geological settings, the development of pink, red, and purple zircon occurs after hundreds of millions of years, if the crystal has sufficient trace elements to produce color centers. Color in this red or pink series is annealed in geological conditions above temperatures of around 400�C.
Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate) belonging to the epidote group. The gemstone was discovered by Manuel d'Souza in the Mirerani Hills of Manyara Region in Northern Tanzania in 1967, near the city of Arusha and Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzanite is only found in Tanzania, in a very small mining area (approximately 7 km long and 2 km wide) near the Mirerani Hills.
Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately blue, violet and burgundy depending on crystal orientation. Tanzanite can also appear differently when viewed under alternate lighting conditions. The blues appear more evident when subjected to fluorescent light and the violet hues can be seen readily when viewed under incandescent illumination. In its rough state tanzanite is usually colored a reddish brown, and much of it requires heat treatment to remove the brownish "veil" and bring out the blue violet of the stone.
In 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose tanzanite as a December birthstone, the first change to their birthstone list since 1912.
Narcissus is a genus of predominantly spring perennial plants in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common names including daffodil, daffadowndilly, narcissus, and jonquil are used to describe all or some members of the genus. Narcissus has conspicuous flowers with six petal-like tepals surmounted by a cup- or trumpet-shaped corona. The flowers are generally white or yellow (also orange or pink in garden varieties), with either uniform or contrasting coloured tepals and corona.
Narcissus were well known in ancient civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally considered to have about ten sections with approximately 50 species. The number of species has varied, depending on how they are classified, due to similarity between species and hybridization. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origin of the name Narcissus is unknown, but it is often linked to a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of that name who fell in love with his own reflection.
Narcissus were well known in ancient civilisation, both medicinally and botanically, but formally described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum (1753). The genus is generally considered to have about ten sections with approximately 50 species. The number of species has varied, depending on how they are classified, due to similarity between species and hybridization. The genus arose some time in the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene epochs, in the Iberian peninsula and adjacent areas of southwest Europe. The exact origin of the name Narcissus is unknown, but it is often linked to a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of that name who fell in love with his own reflection.
On Stardoll
We got to see several turquoise and daffodil inspired items over the years; here are some of those still available.
December birthdays:
December 8th: whatsernam3
December 16th: oayes
December 23rd: Heya-y
December 28th: Alyaj4
December 30th: LoveFotinh
December 16th: oayes
December 23rd: Heya-y
December 28th: Alyaj4
December 30th: LoveFotinh
If there's anyone else that celebrates their birthday in December, please leave a comment with your username and birth date.
RULES: You have to be a follower of this blog and you MUST be an active member, meaning taking part in competitions, upvoting, posting OOTD's, voting in polls etc. and be active on Stardoll. NOTE: Your activity will be checked.
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