Art & Artists, Volume 1, number 11, November 1999 Judie's Gems: golden saphhire and topaz The birthstones for November are golden sapphire and topaz. Since I did an article on sapphires for September, I’ll give you November babies an article on the alternate stone: topaz, with a hardness of 8. This transparent gem is not well known but it does come in many colors: yellow (the best known), pink, green, blue, brown, red, and clear. It is believed that the name topaz is a derivative of the Sanskrit topas, meaning fire. Perhaps no other gem has had more varied or preposterous powers ascribed to it: it could drive away sadness, strengthen intellect, and bestow courage. When mounted in gold and hung around the neck, it could dispel enchantment. (Those jewelers again?) When powdered and put in wine it was used to cure asthma, insomnia, burns, and hemorrhage. It was considered the stone of fruitfulness and faithfulness, conferred cheerful-ness on the wearer, calmed passions, and prevented bad dreams. It was supposed to become obscure in contact with poisons and quench the heat of boiling water. All these powers would increase or decrease with changes of the moon. Certainly a stone for all seasons. In large-scale ruby and sapphire mining in Ceylon and Burma, topaz is considered a by-product gem. In Brazil, however, it is one of the target gems, along with beryl. It is also found, in smaller amounts, in Russia, the U.S.A., Japan, Mexico, Tasmania, southwest Africa, and England. Thus topaz is distributed widely throughout the world. There is a buyer’s advisory on this gem, especially the yellow- or amber-colored stones. Many birthstones which are sold in pre-made settings as “topaz-quartz” are really citrine. Always deal with a reputable source on this one. Topaz has long been used as November’s birthstone, for, according to an old verse: Who first comes to this world below | ||
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