November Birthstone, Get Creative with Colourful Topaz

If you feel more excited about tourmaline, tanzanite and turquoise than you do the November birthstone topaz, it’s time for a change of heart. This ancient gemstone has been linked to loads of special talents over the centuries, including the ability to enhance creativity and act as a gemstone lie-detector test. The ancient Greeks even believed topaz could render the wearer completely invisible and uncover the illusions cast by others – sadly, we’ve never seen any proof!

The name topaz is thought to originate from the Sanskrit word for fire, which is perfect considering its most valuable colours are sunset shades of pinkish-orange to vibrant red-orange. Topaz gemstones with this rare spectrum of fiery colours are called Imperial Topaz, supposedly named after the Tsars of Russia. In fact, these hues were considered so special the Tsars reserved the exclusive rights to wear them in the 19th century.

One of the things that makes topaz so special is its rainbow of natural colours. It can be found in yellow, orange, blue, pink, green, brown and colourless varieties. You might come across Sherry Topaz when hunting for topaz jewellery, which has a lovely rich shade range from brownish-yellow to deep orange. Some of the most spectacular faceted topaz gemstones for jewellery have a vibrant sky blue colour that looks great in topaz pendants, topaz earrings and topaz cocktail rings. The rarest and deepest blue shades are known as London Blue Topaz and these gemstones make for striking alternative blue engagement rings and matching jewellery suites.

With all these fabulous colours, it would be easy to dismiss the white variety of topaz for being a bit on the boring side. As usual, topaz has a few tricks up its sleeve! This gemstone can be cut and polished to perfection and has a good hardness, making it a sparkling alternative to diamonds in gemstone cluster pendants and halo settings. The people around you will never know you are wearing topaz unless you tell them.

Topaz gemstones can be found all over the world, including Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico, the USA, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. They’re the talisman for the astrological sign Sagittarius and a traditional gift for fourth and twenty-third wedding anniversaries. Don’t forget, if a piece of topaz jewellery takes pride of place in your jewellery box, don’t risk using steam cleaners or ultrasonic cleaners. High heat or sudden changes in temperature can cause internal cracks to form inside topaz.

We think the summery sky-blue shades of topaz are the perfect antidote to the wintery November weather. If you want to combine blue skies with sunshine yellow, you’ll definitely be tempted by the colour of November’s other birthstone, citrine.