November Birthstone

November Birthstone - Topaz

Birthstones have been used in jewelry for personalization and to mark the month the wearer was born. In 1912, the American National Association of Jewelers came up with a standardized list correlating birthstone goes with months. This list shows Topaz as the birthstone for November. This is what we call the “modern" list of birthstones. Prior to this, other birthstones were associated with the birth month and these are referred to as “traditional" stones and citrine was also included as a birthstone for November.

When shopping for birthstone jewelry to mark the birth of someone born in November, always buy the highest quality jewelry you can afford. Topaz is a beautiful stone that works well with other stones and is exceptional in sterling silver jewelry lending itself to unique handcrafted designs such as those shown in our topaz jewelry showcase.

The mineral topaz is a silicate of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula (AlF)2SiO4. It is orthorhombic and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces, the basal pinacoid often being present. It has an easy and perfect basal cleavage and so gemstones or other fine specimens should be handled with care to avoid developing cleavage flaws. Birthstone jewelry made with topaz can be set in any type of metal.

When buying birthstone jewelry for November, the purchaser has a choice of colors. Pure topaz is transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine or straw-yellow. They may also be white, gray, green, blue, or reddish-yellow and transparent or translucent. When heated, yellow topaz often becomes reddish-pink.

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