November’s Fiery Gem – Topaz
Happy birthday, Scorpios! And congratulations on an amazing and mysterious gemstone: topaz.
Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.
Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone of the US state of Utah.[5]
The name topaz comes from the Sanskrit and means fire.
Red and pink topaz gems were used in the jewelry of the 18th and 19th Century Russian Czarinas and is why topaz is sometimes called “Imperial Topaz”.
The most famous topaz is actually a colorless topaz that was originally thought to be a diamond. It is a 1680 carat stone known as the “Braganza Diamond” set in the Portuguese Crown Jewels. Another beautiful topaz is in the Green Vault in Dresden which has one of the world’s most important gem collections.
Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:
During the Middle Ages topaz was thought to heal both physical and mental disorders and prevent death.
The Greeks believed it had power to increase strength and to make its wearer invisible while the Romans believed it had power to improve eyesight. The Egyptians wore it as an amulet to protect them from injury.
Source: Bernadine.com
