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Birthstone Information

NOVEMBER:
TOPAZ,
CITRINE

"Topaz" was the name given, in ancient times, to all yellow and brown gemstones. The name is thought to have come from an island, Topazos, in the Red Sea, which was an early source for these gemstones. It is unfortunate that the color yellow is usually associated with topaz, since it also occurs in blue (mostly treated by irradiation), red and green (very rare), and colorless (very common--many of which are irradiated to a permanent blue).

Overseas buyers beware: Most of the yellow stones sold today as topaz are actually citrine!

Be careful with brown topaz from Russia and Mexico--it is light sensitive, and tends to fade in sunlight--keep it in a dark place when it is not being worn.

With a hardness of 8, topaz has excellent scratch resistance, but it also has perfect cleavage, so is somewhat succeptible to impact damage (although in 40 years in this business, I have yet to see a cut topaz that has cleaved during actual use).


 Citrine is the yellow variety of quartz, with the color ranging from a pale yellow to golden, through bright orange to a dark reddish-brown orange (called "madeira). the colors of citrine closely parallel those of yellow topazes, and the term "citrine topaz" is a misnomer used in many parts of the world outside the U.S. Citrine is often sold as topaz to the unsuspecting tourist! (In fact, during the early part of the 20th century, until the Federal Trade Commission stepped in, it was misrepresented and sold as topaz by some dealers and jewelers in the United States.)

With a hardness of 7 and no cleavage, Citrine is an excellent gemstone for pendants, earrings and rings where the design gives some protection from scratching.

Natural citrines are mostly pale yellow, with most commercial stones being heat-treated amethysts or smokey quartzes--a fact that does not deter from their value, as they are relatively inexpensive gemstones, even in large sizes.

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