November birthstone is yellow Topaz or Citrene

The birthstones for the month of November are Yellow Topaz or Citrene. Citrene is far more popular today as the birthstone for November because it is readily available and is very reasonably priced. Most of the Citrene found today comes from Brazil. The name Citrene is derived from the French word which means lemon. This delicious lemon yellow stone comes in a wide variety of yellows ranging from pastel to a rich, deep yellow to an almost brownish orange called Madeira Citrene, which looks a lot like the more expensive Golden Topaz. Citrene rates a 7” on the Mohs scale; which grades the hardness of a stone from 1 to a 10. Citrene is a member of the Quartz family of stones as is Amethyst, which is the stone for February. I personally like the deep bright Citrenes and wear them often - especially in the winter months when it’s dark and overcast. It is like wearing a bit of sunshine and it brightens up my day! Citrene is also the stone for the 9th Wedding Anniversary. Yellow Topaz, sometimes called Golden Topaz is a deep, dark orangish yellow. Golden Topaz is more expensive than Citrene and much harder to find. Topaz is itself a family of stones and it is available in an array of colors... Yellow, Green and three shades of Blue: Sky Blue (very light) Suisse Blue (very bright), and London Blue (very dark). Much topaz is white as it comes out the mines and is irradiated to enhance the color. The most expensive variety is called Imperial or Precious Topaz and comes in Champagne, Pink and the very rare Sherry or Salmon color which is a deep orangish red. This rare and exceptional Topaz is sometimes called Ouro Preto Topaz named after the former Capital city of the state of Minas Gerais (which means General Mines)in Brazil where it was mined. Topaz is regarded as the gem of faithfulness, beauty and health! The name Topazwas taken from an Island in the Red Sea called Topazios. Because of it color, it was a symbol of the Egyptian sun god, Ra. The ancients wore it as an amulet against evil and to prevent bad dreams. (Some even believed you would be invisible if you wore yellow topaz.... but that was dependent on the placement of the moon also!) Today, Blue Topaz is the designated stone for the 4th Wedding anniversary and Imperial Topaz is the stone for the 23rd anniversary. Topaz rates 8 on the hardness scale. You may also be familiar with a beautiful brown stone commonly called Smokey Topaz; but these lovely stones are not topaz at all but irradiated Quartz. However, they make stunning pieces of jewelry also and are very popular. If your birth date is in November but yellow is not your delight, you can choose a topaz in one of the many other colors and make a statement about your personal style. It’s your choice! Cheryl Thompson is the owner of Something Precious Jewelry.