# November babies, what do you think of our birthstone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401 "2008-11-19T02:15:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/1 "2008-11-19T02:15:55Z")
Citrine or yellow topaz is the birthstone for November. While I would like to get a ring or some jewellery with my birthstone in it, I am not a huge fan of yellow gems. What do the rest of you November babies think of them? Want to have a go at convincing me that some yellow-stoned jewellery won’t be ugly? ---
**Author:** ![Ro\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Ro\_Carter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ro_Carter)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/2 "2008-11-19T02:26:12Z")
I’ve only one piece of jewelry with a topaz in it. It’s a kind of burnished/blackened for relief copper pendant with a sun in relief on the front, with a topaz at the center, on a dark tan leather thong. It’s the only piece I’ve seen that I would wear, as topazes tend to “clash” with the traditional jewelry metals (silver, gold, etc) in my opinion. I would agree with you that most yellow-stoned jewelry is ugly, though. I’ve never been terribly fond of topaz as a birthstone. As a kid I was always a little jealous of other months because they got “better” stones. Then again, I’ve never been a real big fan of just yellow as a color, so maybe that is working against me. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/3 "2008-11-19T02:35:15Z")
I’m not a November baby, but my sister-in-law is, and with her coloring, she’s really not a fan of topaz. So, she has some light blue stuff (which I think is theoretically December’s birthstone, which I can’t recall what it’s name is) which she wears instead and just kinda pretends it is her birthstone… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/4 "2008-11-19T02:43:14Z")
I’m not a November baby, but a number of them, and a lot of jewelry salespeople, now accept other colors of topaz besides yellow as a November birthstone. If the yellow doesn’t appeal to you, why not go for a blue topaz or a white topaz? I own a lot of blue and white topaz which I really enjoy. I do have a few pieces of citrine, but I find that it doesn’t go with as many colors as my other jewelry. Or google “alternative November birthstone” and you can find almost any stone, including diamond, pearl, and a personal favorite of mine, fire opal, listed. **Eureka** , your sister-in-law probably has blue topaz, which can be an alternative for the December birthstone, blue zircon, which is rarer and more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/5 "2008-11-19T03:11:19Z")
Agreed. It’s ugly. When I got my class ring in high school, I got one of their generic stones not associated with any month’s birthday. It’s something that’s green, but not an emerald. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/6 "2008-11-19T03:15:18Z")
I really always wanted a February birthday, so I could have amethyst. Of all the birthstones, I’d put November about 11, with August at 12. With February at number 1, that is. Yellow’s never been my favorite color. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/7 "2008-11-19T03:20:14Z")
Ugly as hell. I have two rings that I wear regularly, and they are aquamarine and sapphire. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/8 "2008-11-19T03:25:06Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I’m not a November baby, but a number of them, and a lot of jewelry salespeople, now accept other colors of topaz besides yellow as a November birthstone. If the yellow doesn’t appeal to you, why not go for a blue topaz or a white topaz?\ I like the blue topazes, but it seems like a cheat to call it my birthstone, when November’s birthstone is supposed to be a yellow stone (and look like frozen piss). Here’s my lovely ring —\> :dubious::dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/9 "2008-11-19T03:48:13Z")
I’ve never been fond of it. I don’t have any birthstone jewelry. I was always jealous of my sister getting a ruby for a birthstone. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/10 "2008-11-19T03:53:35Z")
Hell yeah, yellow topaz is ugly. As **SpoilerVirgin** said, though, there are plenty of other topaz colors. I like [green](http://www.peora.com/images/guides/gems/topaz_591.jpg) myself. I don’t think it should be considered cheating, as the color of topaz isn’t usually specified when birthstones are discussed. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/11 "2008-11-19T04:07:12Z")
Wait, that’s yellow? I always thought it was an off-orange. Yellow is my favourite color, but I always found my birth stone a bit… ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/12 "2008-11-19T05:20:35Z")
I don’t like it. I have a necklace that my father gave me, with a yellow topaz in it… I pretty much never wear it. Lately I’ve taken to wearing another one he gave me which has (I think) alexandrite on it. My only other jewelry with topaz is a ring given to me by my friend, and it is blue topaz (and amethyst, her birthstone… it’s a friendship ring 🙂 ) I just never really liked it. I much prefer garnet, opal or alexandrite. As a girl, I always wanted to be January… ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/13 "2008-11-19T05:51:18Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > I really always wanted a February birthday, so I could have amethyst. Of all the birthstones, I’d put November about 11, with August at 12. With February at number 1, that is. > > Yellow’s never been my favorite color. I’m a February baby. HA HA! Anyway, I like citrine (mom’s birthstone) and love peridot (dad’s birthstone). A couple years ago I found this really great peridot pinwheel ring set in sterling and I should have scooped it up right then but I didn’t and now they (Ross Simons) don’t have it anymore. 😕 Now you’ve got me looking on ebay… oh, look! [Here’s one](http://cgi.ebay.com/Elegant-Amethyst-Citrine-Peridot-925-Sterling-Ring_W0QQitemZ280283763030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Fine_Rings?hash=item280283763030&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1326%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1307) with all of them together. I would totally wear that. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/14 "2008-11-19T06:22:26Z")
One of my closest friends is a November baby and says citrine looks like frozen baby piss. I’ve got several samples of really nice citrine in my rock collection that she liked, so I took it to the store I got it from and found a piece that was the same color, just a bit darker so she could have made it into a ring. She designed the setting and everything. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/15 "2008-11-19T07:49:48Z")
Of course, it’s my own fault. If I’d waited until my due date to be born (or even just a few more days than I did) I’d have aquamarine. I could deal with that. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/16 "2008-11-19T08:41:07Z")
I always hated it. I own nothing with my piss yellow birthstone color. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/17 "2008-11-19T13:36:27Z")
Honest question… Why not just wear a different gem? One that you prefer? I’m not big on jewelry in the first place, but why does your birthday have any bearing on what you wear\*? I’ve always thought birthstones were even sillier than horoscopes, and assumed most people gave it as much thought as I do, i.e. none. \*excepting, of course, for the birthday suit. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/18 "2008-11-19T13:45:51Z")
Hideous. I’ve decided to convince myself that [fire opals](http://www.earlham.edu/~griffel/web/Mexican%20Fire%20Opals.jpg) are our birthright instead! 😃 I’m not sure when citrines were added to our options, seems like in the 90’s sometime. When I was a kid, it was all golden topaz, all the time. Blech. Looks like a kidney stone. Actually, my wedding ring has a very dark (roasted, obviously) citrine in it that I do like. The jeweler suggested it instead of the amber that I really like; amber’s too soft for a constantly worn ring, but this citrine, especially so small, looks like a bit of amber, and that works for me. **CutterJohn** , it’s not that we _can’t_ wear other jewelry, it’s that there’s a long tradition of giving children birthstone jewelry and we always got the ugly yellow earrings and necklaces at our birthdays. Some of us also got pumpkin pie instead of proper birthday cake! ☹ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/19 "2008-11-19T13:49:39Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > I really always wanted a February birthday, so I could have amethyst. Of all the birthstones, I’d put November about 11, with August at 12. With February at number 1, that is. I’m an August baby. My birthstone looks like an emerald that fell in some bleach. And I don’t even like emeralds. I don’t own a peridot. I wear what I like. I don’t have a fire opal, but if I were born in November I probably would. They’re gorgeous. It’s not cheating. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401/20 "2008-11-19T13:54:51Z")
Well, many Novemberians can choose to go with the Zodiac scheme instead of the calendar month scheme - the Scorpio birthstones are generally Beryl/Aquamarine. I think that’s a little better, myself. If you’re born later in November, then that doesn’t work - Saggitarius birthstones are pretty much the same as November ones. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-babies-what-do-you-think-of-our-birthstone/473401.md?page=2)