Exciting news November babies as you have not one, but two birthstones to choose from: citrine and topaz.  Both are known to have calming energies, bringing fortune and warmth to the wearer. In this post, we’re focusing on topaz. Especially blue topaz (which has many different shades of blue) which looks like blue sky, that we love so much!

There are three dominates blue shades for Topaz stones:

• Blue Topaz, the substitute for Blue Sapphire, is a transparent blue colored, semi-precious gemstone from the Topaz mineral family
• Sky blue topaz is a natural, light blue colored, semi-precious gemstone of the Topaz mineral family.
• Swiss Blue Topaz is an alluring vivid blue-hued variety of Topaz gemstones that manifests the energies of the mind and knowledge.

 

Topaz rank 8 on the Mohs scale (a scale of hardness based on the ability of one mineral to scratch another) and was previously the gem of choice for Russian royalty. This pretty gemstone can be colorless, light blue, yellow, orange, pink, violet, brown and, very rarely, red. Here are our favorite 5 facts about Topaz:

1. The name topaz comes from Topazios, the old Greek name for a small island in the Red Sea, now called Zabargad. Interestingly, this island never contained topaz, but it was a source of peridot, which was previously confused with topaz. 
2. Topaz is allochromatic, which means that color is created by impurity element or defects in the crystal structure. The rarest topaz color is a vivid purplish pink.
3. In India, many believe that topaz worn above the heart assures long life, beauty, and intelligence.
4. During nineteenth-century Russia, the Ural Mountains were the leading source of topaz and the pink gemstone mined from the area was named to honor the Russian Czar. Ownership of topaz was restricted to the royal family.
5. Topaz is pleochroic, meaning that the gem can show different colors in different crystal directions.