November Birthstones (citrine or topaz) November 1, 2007
Posted by kolstromkreations in : Gemstones , add a commentThe traditonal birthstones for November are citrine and topaz.
Citrine is a quartz crystal. Natural citrine is only rarely found in nature, and most stones seen on the market are heat-treated amethyst or smokey quartz. Heat treatment is used to change or improve color. It occurs with few inclusions and citrine rates a 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale, making it durable enough for daily wear. Citrine is known as the “healing quartz,” as it is said to promote health, hope and energy for the wearer. In early times it was called “sunstone” because it was thought to hold sunshine, or the “merchant’s stone” as the color was similar to gold and thought to promote prosperity. Citrine is seen in a variey of shades from pale yellow to dark brown orange.
Most natural topaz is colorless, though it is found in a variety of vivid colors. It’s name may come from the ancient island of Topasos, near Greece. It is associated with compassion and communication. Topaz is commonly treated by heating or irradiation to obtain blue colors. All mystic topaz gemstones are created by coating the stone using vapor deposition. Topaz rates an 8 on the Moh’s hardness scale.
