Greetings Beaders, Leah here from Eureka Crystal Beads! I’m excited to bring you the 7th installment of 12: Birthstones! At the beginning of each month I’ll bring you a blog that is chock-full of everything you might want to know about that month’s stone. Were you born this month? If so, you might take particular interest in my seventh blog in this series: TOPAZ, the birthstone for November.

Topaz, derived from the Sanskrit word for “fire,” is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine. It’s one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals (with a Mohs hardness of 8) and is the hardest of any silicate mineral. This hardness, combined with its usual transparency and variety of colors, means that it has acquired wide use in jewelry as a cut gemstone. Topaz, in its natural state, is a golden brown to yellow, a characteristic which means it is sometimes confused with the less valuable gemstone Citrine. A variety of impurities and treatments may make a topaz stone appear wine red, pale gray, reddish-orange, pale green, or pink (rare!), and opaque to translucent/transparent. Interesting fact: the pink and red varieties come from chromium replacing aluminium in its crystalline structure. Isn’t science fascinating?! ***If you want the look of Topaz, but without the hit to your wallet, consider a Swarovski replacement! We carry a wide array of TOPAZ colored Swarovski Crystals that can be used in your November projects!

Orange Topaz, also known as Precious Topaz, is the traditional November birthstone (and the state gemstone of Utah!). Imperial Topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some Imperial Topaz stones can fade if exposed to sunlight for an extended period of time. Blue Topaz is the state gemstone of Texas. Naturally occurring Blue Topaz is quite rare. Typically, colorless, gray, or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue. (Tip: The Swarovski Crystal color “Aquamarine” would pass nicely as a Swiss Blue Topaz replacement and “Indicolite” could be used for ever-popular market favorite London Blue Topaz!)

The ever fancy Mystic Topaz is colorless Topaz which has been artificially coated via a vapor deposition process giving it a rainbow effect on its surface. Want something just as dazzling as Mystic Topaz? Consider a Swarovski Crystal bead or stone in the color Crystal Vitrail Medium!

Here’s Crystal Vitrail Medium in the shape of a 14mm Rivoli – the sparkle is amazing and you can wear it with just about anything!

If you’re a believer in the metaphysical properties of stones, Topaz is thought to soothe, heal, stimulate, recharge, motivate, and align the meridians of the body – directing energy to where it is needed most. It’s also believed by some to promote truth and forgiveness. Topaz is also known as a stone of good fortune. // Care to read about some of the world’s most famous Topaz gemstones? Check out this article for a fascinating list!

Is your birthstone Topaz? Do you have a favorite color of Topaz that I mentioned above? – comment below! 🙂

Until next time, folks! Happy Beading!

-Leah