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Birthstones For November
In "The Romance of Your Birthstone", Hope Swengel writes: "The golden glow
of the sunset and the rich brown of autumn leaves are captured in the
birthstone for November."
Two birthstones are listed for November, genuine topaz and citrine quartz.
Topaz may have other colors, such as tints of blue, pale greenish yellow
(sherry topaz) and shades of pink, which are rare. The color in topaz
usually favored by the public is a golden yellow. It is one of the most
beautiful of all crystallized minerals. The oblong crystals are found in
material of igneous formation, such as pegmatites, in seams in granitic
rocks, and in rhyolite. This last is the formation in which our local
topaz is found at Topaz Mountain in the Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah.
The Utah topaz is usually a light brown or yellow, which becomes colorless
upon exposure to light. The crystals are usually not large -- one half
inch to one inch being a real collector's item. Larger specimens may often
be filled with quartz inclusions. Sources outside of Utah are Texas,
Colorado, Maine, California, and several foreign countries. Crystals up to
600 pounds have been found in Brazil. Topaz has a glassy luster, hardness
of 8, fracture conchoidal, is transparent to translucent, and composition
is aluminum fluosilicate. (This means it is a silicate of aluminum, with
part of the oxygen replaced by a fluoride.)
November's second gemstone, citrine quartz, is a variety of quartz. It is
usually yellow to red-orange, but may be orange-brown in color, and very
similar to golden topaz. It is transparent, and can be obtained at quite a
reasonable price. Being of the Quartz Family, it has a hardness of 7,
fracture is conchoidal, glassy luster, rhombohedral cleavage, and is
transparent to sub-translucent.
Quoting from the book mentioned above: "A legend told by Pliny suggests
that the name "topaz" came from a Greek word, "topazein", meaning "to seek",
because the earliest known locality from which it was obtained was an
island, Topazas, in the Red Sea, which was often surrounded by fog and
therefore difficult for sailors to find. This island, which still holds
quantities of splendid stones, was thought to be guarded by a chosen few,
whose duty it was to kill anyone who tried to land there. Even those who
had a right to seek the gems could not see them in daylight, for it was
only after nightfall that they were revealed by their radiance."
-- by Axel E. Janson
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