If your birthday is in November, you have two gemstones to choose from as your birthstone: Citrine and Topaz. Although the minerals are unrelated, the stones are very similar in appearance and are often mistaken for one another. Citrine ranges from pale yellow to brownish-orange. Topaz can be yellow and become confused with Citrine, it comes in a much wider range of colors as well.
Because of the abundance of these gemstones, they are very affordable, even in larger sizes. So, it is easy to give a gift of a large November birthstone on pretty much any budget.
What is Topaz?
For much of history, people thought that all topaz gemstones were yellow and that all yellow gemstones were topaz. The name comes from Topazios. This is what the Greek’s called St. John’s Island in the Red Sea. In ancient times, yellow gemstones were mined there and may not even have been topaz. But, the stones were named after the island and the name stuck so that all yellow gemstones were called topaz.
The color of topaz comes from impurities as pure topaz has no color. Although we are used to thinking of topaz as being in the light yellow to brownish-orange range of colors, the most sought-after color is called Imperial topaz which is a vibrant orange with undertones of pink. Blue topaz is rarely found in nature but can be created by irradiating a topaz gemstone.
The largest topaz production comes from Brazil but it is also mined in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Russia, Nigeria, Germany, Australia, Mexico, and in the USA.
Topaz is very hard but prone to chipping and cracking due to its perfect cleavage. It requires correct cutting to produce durable jewelry.
At the time of the Renaissance in Europe, people thought that topaz would break spells and reduce anger. In India, the Hindus considered topaz sacred and thought that a topaz pendant would bring long life and wisdom. In Africa, shamans used this stone that they believed to be sacred in healing rituals.
What is Citrine?
This is November’s other birthstone. It is a type of quartz that ranges from pale yellow to brownish orange. It gets the name because it reminds one of the color of a lemon (citrus). While citrine looks similar to topaz of the same color range, it does not have any varieties outside of this range.
Traces of iron in the quartz crystals are what give citrine its color. Because citrine is not common in nature, other types of quartz are commonly treated with heat to produce the yellow or golden color of this gemstone.
As with Topaz, the largest supplies come from Brazil with other sources being Bolivia, Russia, Madagascar, Spain, and the USA. Each location produces a different shade of this gemstone.
Citrine is very hard and durable and, unlike topaz, is not prone to chipping. It is credited with calming tempers, soothing anger, and manifesting prosperity.
We carry a large assortment of excellent topaz and citrine gemstones and would like to show them to you.