Collection: November Birthstone Jewelry

Two golden stones, one of them quietly complicated

November has citrine as the modern birthstone and topaz as the older one. Citrine is quartz — the same mineral as amethyst and clear quartz, coloured yellow to amber by traces of iron. Topaz is a different mineral entirely, harder at 8 on Mohs, and naturally occurs in a wide range including colourless, blue, pink and the prized golden-orange imperial topaz.

The complicated part is citrine's supply. Genuinely natural citrine is uncommon. A large share of what is sold as citrine is amethyst that has been heat-treated — heat shifts the iron in the crystal and turns purple into yellow-orange permanently. It is still real quartz and the colour is stable, but it is worth knowing what you are looking at. Natural citrine tends to sit in soft smoky yellows; the deep reddish-orange with white-tipped points is the tell-tale heated material.

Blue topaz has a parallel story. Almost all of it starts colourless and is irradiated and heated to produce blue. Again: real topaz, permanent colour, entirely normal in the trade — just not something that came out of the ground that shade.

What November's stones are for

Citrine belongs to the solar plexus — confidence, drive, the part of you that makes decisions rather than waiting to be told. It picked up the nickname "the merchant's stone" for its association with abundance, which is the sort of reputation that sounds invented and is actually several centuries old.

Topaz is the calmer relative: golden topaz for warmth and steadiness, blue topaz for clarity and expression at the throat. Both are stones for keeping your own light going in the month the daylight is visibly draining away, which is not a subtle metaphor but it is an accurate one. More on both in the November citrine and topaz guide.

Genuine stone, treated stone and golden glass

Every listing here states its material: natural citrine, heat-treated citrine, topaz, or golden glass standing in for the colour. Heat treatment is disclosed rather than glossed over, because "citrine" covers two quite different things and the price should reflect which one you are getting.

Golden and amber glass appears in the Glass & Light pieces and is always named as glass. It is a legitimate material for a colour this warm, and it is never sold as the stone.

One real caution: citrine and sunlight

Citrine's colour can fade with prolonged direct sun exposure — the same iron colour centre that heat created can be undone by enough light and heat over time. This is genuinely true of citrine, unlike the sapphire myth. Do not leave citrine on a sunny windowsill, and if you charge crystals in sunlight, this is one to charge in moonlight instead.

Both stones are otherwise hard-wearing. Citrine is 7 on Mohs, topaz 8 — but topaz has perfect cleavage in one direction, meaning a sharp knock at the wrong angle can split it cleanly. No ultrasonic cleaner for topaz. Warm water, mild soap, soft cloth for both. Full routine in the crystal care guide.

Wearing it

Warm yellow is a gold-metal colour by default — gold settings make citrine glow and read expensive. Silver cools it and makes it look more like a piece of light than a jewel, which some people prefer and is definitely the more modern look.

Against deep green, navy or charcoal, golden stones are at their best. Against beige or camel they vanish. For a November birthday, a pendant carries the colour well; studs are the safer everyday choice.