# November Birthstone - Topaz or Citrine? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770 "2005-12-15T18:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/21 "2005-12-16T05:40:00Z")
I never really liked topaz as a birthstone. But look! I just discovered I now much prefer my [Zodiac Stone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_stone). And Birthday Stone is awesome too. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/22 "2005-12-16T05:48:51Z")
High quality mined alexandrite is a fortune; however, you can get lab-made alexandrite for much less (though sometimes they pass off color-change corundum or spinel as alexandrite). Poor quality alexandrite, whether manmade or natural, will have little color change evident, but top quality alexandrite will have a good color change, and the good lab stuff does a change from blue green in sunlight to deep purple red indoors, and flouresces bright red under a flourescent lamp. You can see the color change from the links off here: [http://www.geolite.com/alexan.htm](http://www.geolite.com/alexan.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/23 "2005-12-16T07:04:38Z")
> [@Lisa-go-Blind](#): > > [Alexandrite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrite). Actually, I have some “alexandrite” jewelry, but the stone in that is more of a violet color. The Wikipedia link makes it sound like it changes from green to red depending on the lighting. Whatever; I prefer pearl anyway. Another June baby, I have an “Alexandrite” gem in a ring - it is usually violet, but depending on the light, it changes from green-blue, to violet, to light blue, clear-ish, and reddish-brown. However, \*real \* Alexandrite (from Russia, named after Alexander II) is rare to find in jewellery, since the stone is too soft, and the gem is quite rare and expensive. My stone is a synthetic version of Alexandrite, but one of the better versions, made with the proper chemical composition (an oxide of beryllium and aluminum), which imitates the real stone better than the old synthetic corundum method. I kind of like rocks. 😃 I prefer pearls, however. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/24 "2005-12-16T07:06:28Z")
> [@Gaudere](#): > > High quality mined alexandrite is a fortune; however, you can get lab-made alexandrite for much less (though sometimes they pass off color-change corundum or spinel as alexandrite). Poor quality alexandrite, whether manmade or natural, will have little color change evident, but top quality alexandrite will have a good color change, and the good lab stuff does a change from blue green in sunlight to deep purple red indoors, and flouresces bright red under a flourescent lamp. You can see the color change from the links off here: [Alexandrite gemstones faceted from lab grown synthetic alexandrites for alexandrite jewelry](http://www.geolite.com/alexan.htm) I swear I didn’t see you there before I posted. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/25 "2005-12-16T11:47:57Z")
Another November baby here who thinks Topaz is just ugly. I like the blue topaz’s (topazii?) though. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/26 "2005-12-16T16:15:23Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > I suppose that everyone has two birthstones–one lame one and one acceptable gem? I don’t think so. I’m a January and all we’ve got is garnet. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/27 "2005-12-16T23:52:27Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > Another June baby, I have an “Alexandrite” gem in a ring - it is usually violet, but depending on the light, it changes from green-blue, to violet, to light blue, clear-ish, and reddish-brown. > > However, \*real \* Alexandrite (from Russia, named after Alexander II) is rare to find in jewellery, since the stone is too soft, and the gem is quite rare and expensive. > [/hijack] Alexandrite soft? I don’t think so, it’s ~8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale which puts it between sapphire and true topaz. There’s practically nothing except harder gems that can scratch it. And yes, it is rare and very expensive. The excellent Simon and Schuster Guide to Gems And Precious Stones has for its illustration of Alexandrite a picture of a highly magnified tiny specimen of .15 carats. The fact that even the publishers of this book couldn’t scare up a bigger stone as an illustration underscores its rarity. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/28 "2005-12-17T15:32:49Z")
One thing I’ve noticed about the ‘warmer’ toned stones is that they look better set in silver or a ‘white’ metal. Something about yellow gold just washes them out and/or just clashes. I’m an August peridot, and I loathed it for years - thought it looked like an emerald that got faded in the laundry. Until a good friend got me some silver earrings set with peridots. The difference was spectacular. I’d only ever seen it set in yellow gold. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/29 "2005-12-17T18:19:04Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > My birthstone is pearls ( June baby) or some obscure semi-precious gem whose name I can’t remember. I suppose that everyone has two birthstones–one lame one and one acceptable gem? Alexandrite? I’m June, too. I always thought it was moonstone, then it seemed to be pearl, and now alexandrite. I like moonstone best. Pearls are nice. I’m not crazy about alexandrite at all. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/30 "2005-12-17T18:36:44Z")
> [@Gaudere](#): > > Citrine is a type of quartz and is a semiprecious stone, about on the same price level as peridot or amethyst or topaz. It is not seen as often, most likely because most people don’t like yellow stones. Personally, I’d go with blue topaz for the november birthstone, since it is pretty and easy to find. Some people say you can’t use the blue ones for november birthstones, but whatever. My mother is a November baby and she’s always used blue topaz as her birthstone. Let’s face it, they’re prettier. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770/31 "2005-12-17T20:05:59Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Another November baby here who thinks Topaz is just ugly. I like the blue topaz’s (topazii?) though. November here too, and I love me some topaz, though I like the yellow ones least of all, mostly because yellow is a bad color for m. I got a nice sparkly white topaz ring for my anniversary a few years back from [thaigem.com](http://thaigem.com), their quality is very good, or was at the time. My favorites are the smokey ones (clear with black stripes or something?) but those can be hard to find. I’d also be careful about buying jewelry for a new girlfriend, make sure to scope her out discreetly first. i.e does she ever wear jewelry? Does she like large cut jewels or small ones? Does she tend to wear only gold, or only silver? Are her ears pierced? etc… 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/november-birthstone-topaz-or-citrine/335770.md?page=1)