Birthstone: November // Topaz + Citrine

The golden hues of topaz and citrine light the way for November babies. While topaz can be found in a multitude of colors from blue to red-orange, yellow topaz is the color traditionally endowed upon those born in November, as is citrine, another golden-toned gem similar in color. Each has its own unique qualities.

TOPAZ

Topaz is gem that has been known and prized for many centuries. Its dense silicate mineral structure rates it an 8-out-of-10 on the Mohs hardness scale and it is also well-known for its crisp color and translucent clarity.

Its natural shade tends to be yellow to honey-brown, but the color can be a more intense red-orange, which is possibly why its given name, from the Greek topazios, translates to mean “fire”. Other schools of thought translate the name from the Sanskrit tapas, which coincidentally also means “fire”. In many ancient civilizations, the stone has represented strength and power, and literally the natural element of fire.

In the Egyptian culture, Topaz symbolized the Sun God, Ra, and it was believed to carry his power. In African shamanic rituals, Topaz represented the fire element when worn along with other stones in a set with each gem representing one of the five elements. In Hindu mythology, it was considered a sacred stone, denoting heat and was thought to enhance one’s intelligence, creativity, and “inner fire”.

Yellow topaz is a stone of good fortune and good will, warmth, kindness, and affection. It’s been said that if it is revealed to you in a dream, it may point to some future prosperity. It is an enhancement stone that is regarded as a “crystal of potency,” helpful with manifesting abundance, boosting optimism, and overcoming limitations. Energetically grounding, it correlates to the Solar Plexus Chakra, which is connected to one’s sense of self and personal will power and has the effect of increasing confidence and self-worth without inflating the ego.


CITRINE

Citrine is similar in color to yellow topaz, ranging from pale canary yellow to deep brownish-orange. It falls into the quartz mineral class, with its hexagonal crystal structure rating a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.

The name citrine comes from the French citron, meaning lemon. Most natural citrine is a pale yellow color, and finding the gemstone in its natural golden shade is somewhat rare. Much of the citrine we see today is a heat-treated variation of amethyst, which is one of the more abundant gemstones on earth.

Known prior to 1556 as “yellow quartz,” citrine was worn ornamentally in Ancient Greece. In the 17th century, the “success stone” was used to adorn the dagger and sword handles of Scottish men. In a more modern era, it was particularly popular during the Art Deco period when movie stars would fashion themselves with elaborate and oversized citrine jewelry.

Similar to topaz, it is a great stone for manifestation and connecting with personal will power. It is used to promote vitality and health, awaken creativity, and to support the process of transforming dreams and wishes into reality. Because it does not accumulate negative energy, but rather transmutes, dissipates and grounds it, it is one of only two stones that never needs to be energetically cleansed or “cleared,” the other stone being kyanite. It is a great stone for attracting prosperity and maintaining it, but also a stone of generosity and sharing good fortune.

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