The November Birthstone is Topaz

The official birthstone for November is warm yellow-orange Topaz (also known as Imperial Topaz) and the November birthstone color is yellow. The alternative November gemstone is sunny yellow Citrine.

The gemstone Topaz symbolizes constancy, loyalty, faithfulness and friendship.

Some references say the name Topaz originates from Sanskrit tapas meaning ‘fire’ or ‘heat’. Others references say the name came from an Egyptian island in the Red Sea originally called Topazos - where a yellow stone was mined.

The main Zodiac birthstone for Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22) is Beryl, and for Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 21) it is Topaz.

The birth flower for November is the Chrysanthemum.

The November birthstone color of yellow comes from the November gemstones yellow-orange Topaz and yellow Citrine.

Pure Topaz is actually transparent and it is impurities that create the different colored varieties. In addition to the yellow to orange range, Topaz also occurs in exquisite shades of blue, pale green, pink and red. Natural blue Topaz is very rare and most of the blue Topaz in the market is colorless Topaz that has been treated.

Natural yellow-orange Topaz, under the trade name of Imperial Topaz, is quite rare and not often found in jewelry. Usually clear Topaz is treated to produce beautiful sunset colors such as Mystic Topaz which is often found in November jewelry.

Most precious Topaz used in jewelry comes from Brazil and Russia, but Imperial Topaz is only found in Brazil.

Imperial Topaz is the gemstone to celebrate a 23rd wedding anniversary.

View Topaz Beads » View Topaz Crystals »

The alternative birthstone for November is Citrine, a pale yellow quartz which occurs very rarely in nature. The only location known to date is a mine in Bolivia.

When amethyst quartz is heated it transforms to citrine quartz and in some deposits geological heating has caused this process to occur naturally. In other instances amethyst is mined and then manually heated to produce citrine. This process is followed in Brazilian mines where much of the world's amethyst is found.

When both amethyst and citrine are intermingled in the stone, it is called ametrine, and can be found naturally in Bolivia.

Citrine is a readily available gemstone and is popular in November earrings and other gemstone jewelry. Citrine is given as a gift to celebrate a 13th wedding anniversary.