If you're lucky to be born in November, then you have two birthstones to choose from, Topaz and Citrine.
Often mistaken for one another, both of these precious November birthstones have plenty of history. Here's our November birthstone guide for Topaz and Citrine, featuring the stones history, the MOH scale ratings and cleaning advice.
Topaz
Topaz is a precious stone that has been used in jewellery for thousands of years. Historically these precious stones (like many others) where believed to have magical properties; Greeks believed topaz gave strength to the wearer. In European society during the middle ages, it was thought topaz could thwart away magic spells, and dispel anger.
Nowadays, topaz is still as popular as ever. The stone comes in a range of colours and hues - Classically, Topaz is known to be brilliantly blue but these stones can come in shades of pink, yellow, orange, violet and in rare circumstances red.
Topaz scores and 8 on the MOHs scale of hardness but has poor toughness, meaning it can chip and crack easily. Cleaning in an ultrasonic bath or with steam should NOT be done, as sudden heat changes will cause this precious stone to crack. Instead, clean with warm soapy water and a soft bristle brush, similar to a tooth brush.
At Avanti, we have a lovely selection of beautiful blue topaz. A personal favourite of mine is a Toi et Moi set featuring 'London Blue' and 'Sky Blue topaz'. This collection features a necklace and pendant, stunning stud earrings and a beautiful ring all set in 9ct white gold, this collection is beautiful and could be bought together or individually.
Citrine
Citrine is Yellow, orange and sometimes brown in colour, It's the orange variety of quartz mineral. It's name is believed to originate from the French word for lemon (citron) and was often mistaken for the other November birthstone, Topaz (in the orange and red tones).
Historically people believed Citrine had similar magical properties to Topaz; to sooth tempers and calm the wearer, this was in part due to people mistaking it for it's counterpart.
Citrine jewellery has a long ancient history; being calved into ornaments and used as decoration in Ancient Greece and worn by Ancient Romans in the form of intricate rings, pendants and other artefacts.
Citrine was common in jewellery from Scotland during the Victorian period. It's affordability and beauty is what continues to make it popular today.
It's a 7 on the MOHs scale, meaning this precious stone is hard wearing. Citrine can be cleaned using soapy water and a soft brush or cleaned by ultrasonic methods. It is advised to keep Citrine jewellery from being steam cleaned as this could cause the stone to fracture or break.
Which Should I Choose?
Both Topaz and Citrine are beautiful stones with rich histories in both our modern and ancient worlds. They both share a beautiful range of rich colours, and both types of stone have the ability to make a statement on the wearer and sparkle brightly.
The historical importance of Topaz and Citrine, the spiritual interpretations and popularity through the ages have proved that both these stones deserve to stay. Yes, they both have pros and cons but you should choose whichever calls most to you.
Whether it's the brilliant London blue Topaz or the dazzling, rich autumnal tones of Citrine, something we can all agree on is that November babies have two of the best birthstones.
