November - Topaz, Citrine
November: Topaz, Citrine
As it is traditionally known, Topaz is a brown or
yellow-brown gemstone. Much of what you
will see in jewelry stores today is Blue Topaz, which can range in color from
light to dark blue. Since Blue Topaz is
an alternate birthstone for December, please visit that page for more
information about that particular stone.
The ancient Egyptians said that Topaz was colored with the
warm glow of the sun god, Ra. Since Ra was very important to the Egyptians,
this naturally made Topaz a very important and protective amulet for those who
were faithful to him. Even the Romans
associated Topaz with Jupiter, the god of the sun. Ancient Greeks thought that Topaz could make
wearers invisible. It has been said to
cure ailments from asthma to insomnia, and was alleged to alert the wearer to
poisoned food.
Most Topaz is not expensive or particularly difficult to
find. Imperial Topaz, which possesses a
beautiful, rich honey color, can be much more expensive and is far rarer in
larger sizes. Topaz is mined in
Citrine
The alternate birthstone
for November is Citrine. Citrine is a
bright gemstone, usually of a juicy golden color (the name derives from the
French word for lemon, “citron”). The
color can also be very yellow or darker with orange undertones. The darker version of Citrine is named “
Citrine was once thought to protect the wearer from evil
thoughts, as well as snake venom. This
durable stone is mined mostly in