Topaz: Birthstone for November

If you were born in November, you're lucky to have one of the most durable minerals, an 8 on the Mohs scale, as your birthstone. Topaz comes in many colors including blue, green, pink, red, yellow and brown, although some topaz is completely clear of color. It's rare to find a natural pink topaz. They are usually created through heat treatment of yellow or brown gemstones.

Similarly many of the blue topaz are created from irradiation of clear gemstones. There is an orange-red topaz called the "Imperial" but it is extremely rare.

This is a highly desirable gem due to its quality to remain unscarred by time and wear. It is also the anniversary stone for the fourth and nineteenth years of marriage, as well as the state gemstone of both Texas and Utah.

It is not certain whether the "topaz" name came from the Sanskrit word for fire, "tapas" or the Greek term for "green gem" which is "topazos." There is also an island called "topazos" in the Red Sea.

Topaz is mined in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tasmania and Russia. In Germany, small crystals of the most well-known yellow topaz were mined for over 60 years from their rock called the Schneckenstein, a kind of rock in which topaz was embedded. It's also mined in the United States in California, Colorado, Maine Utah, and New Hampshire. It can grow in huge crystals, mainly in veins or cavities of granite and rhyolite and is a transparent, vitreous stone.

Topaz has been documented for over 2000 years. It is referred to in the book of Exodus as one of twelve stones displayed on the breastplates of angels guarding the gates to Paradise.

In ancient history a falcon carved on a topaz was thought to impress royalty and was highly sought after. The Greeks felt that it symbolized strength and prowess. In the ancient world, topaz was also believed to ward off poisons, death and disease both mental and physical. It also was known to promote fertility in women. Ancient Romans offered the gem in dedication to Jupiter.