2027 Forecast

November · Yellow to amber

November birthstone: Topaz

The November birthstones are Topaz and Citrine — the month carries 2 official modern stones, which is why sources disagree about it. The traditional list keeps only Topaz; Citrine was added later.

1912 jewelers’ list
Topaz Kansas City, as Kunz records it
Older lists
Topaz · 8 of 8 Kunz’s tally of 8 old lists
November births
8.05% #10 of 12 months, US 2000–2014

Kunz 1913; US births 2000–2014.

The months either side, and the same month in flowers: October birthstone, December birthstone and November birth flower.

All twelve months, modern and traditional lists in one table: birthstones by month.

November Birthstones: Topaz and Citrine
Modern birthstone Topaz, Citrine
Traditional birthstone Topaz
Color Yellow to amber
Birth flower Chrysanthemum and Peony
Zodiac signs Scorpio, Sagittarius
Hardness (Mohs) 8

For centuries any yellow stone was called topaz. The confusion ran so deep that citrine — actually a quartz — is still often sold as topaz today.

November stones in detail

Topaz

Composition Aluminum fluorosilicate (Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂)
Hardness · Crystal system 8 · Orthorhombic
Mined in Brazil, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka

Nearly all blue topaz on the market began as colorless stone, irradiated and heated to produce the color.

Traditionally linked to confidence, clear intention and honest self-assessment.

Care. Warm soapy water only. No ultrasonic and no steam: topaz has perfect basal cleavage and can split along it.

Spotting a fake. Nearly all blue topaz began as colorless stone that was irradiated and heated. That is standard and legal, but it makes any claim of natural blue topaz worth questioning.

Citrine

Composition Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) — quartz colored by iron
Hardness · Crystal system 7 · Trigonal
Mined in Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Spain

Natural citrine is uncommon. Most stones sold as citrine are heat-treated amethyst — the giveaway is a concentrated color near the tip.

Traditionally associated with enterprise, optimism and material momentum.

Care. Warm soapy water. Keep out of prolonged sunlight, which fades it.

Spotting a fake. Most citrine on the market is heat-treated amethyst. The giveaway is color concentrated at the tip with a paler base; natural citrine is more evenly colored and smokier.

The story of the November stones

Topaz is often traced to Topazios, an island in the Red Sea — though the stone mined there was probably peridot. The most valued variety today is imperial topaz, an orange-to-pink color found near Ouro Preto in Brazil. Citrine joined November as an alternative in the twentieth century, giving the month two warm, golden stones.

Choosing a November stone

For a true November gold, look for natural yellow-to-orange topaz; imperial topaz costs considerably more. Watch the trade names: "smoky topaz" is usually smoky quartz and "Madeira topaz" is citrine, both cheaper materials. "Mystic topaz", with its rainbow surface, is a coating that wears off over time. Citrine is the affordable choice and is easy to find in large sizes.

Primary source

November in George Kunz’s Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913)

The verse for November
“Who first comes to this world below With drear November’s fog and snow Should prize the topaz’s amber hue— Emblem of friends and lovers true.”
George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones” — read the original text. Kunz’s traditional stone for November is topaz, and the jewelers’ list adopted in Kansas City in 1912 kept it. In his tally of eight older lists, November went to topaz in 8 of them, pearl in 1 — some lists give a month two stones. Which lists Kunz compared, and where the verses come from →

November birth flowers

Chrysanthemum

Traditionally signifies friendship and honest cheer.

Peony

Traditionally signifies good fortune and a happy marriage.

More on November birth flowers →

If you go by zodiac sign instead

November spans two signs — Scorpio and Sagittarius — and the zodiac stone list does not match the monthly one. Which applies to you depends on the day, not just the month.

Scorpio stones · Sagittarius stones

Questions about the November birthstone

What is the birthstone for November?

The modern November birthstones are Topaz and Citrine.

What color is the November birthstone?

Yellow to amber.

What is the November birth flower?

Chrysanthemum and Peony; the chrysanthemum traditionally signifies friendship and honest cheer.

Is Topaz hard enough to wear every day?

Topaz rates 8 on the Mohs scale. It can be worn often, with care around a hard knock, which can split it along its perfect cleavage.

What zodiac signs fall in November?

Scorpio and Sagittarius.

Other months

January February March April May June July August September October December

Measured against our reference of 43 stones

The November stones, by hardness

Topaz · modern and traditional Mohs 8 · +1.65 vs average · wear with care
Citrine · modern and alternative Mohs 7 · +0.65 vs average · everyday ring
Average across all 43 stones Mohs 6.35
Modern and traditional Topaz in both
November birthstones on the Mohs hardness scale
November birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the November birthstones marked: Topaz 8, Citrine 7.Topaz: Mohs 8Topaz 8Citrine: Mohs 7Citrine 7Garnet: Mohs 6.5–7.5Amethyst: Mohs 7Citrine: Mohs 7Rose Quartz: Mohs 7Clear Quartz: Mohs 7Smoky Quartz: Mohs 7Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Emerald: Mohs 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Peridot: Mohs 6.5–7Sardonyx: Mohs 6.5–7Zircon: Mohs 6–7.5Carnelian: Mohs 6.5–7Onyx: Mohs 6.5–7Agate: Mohs 6.5–7Tiger's Eye: Mohs 6.5–7Aventurine: Mohs 6.5–7Diamond: Mohs 10Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Labradorite: Mohs 6–6.5Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5Ruby: Mohs 9Sapphire: Mohs 9Spinel: Mohs 8Topaz: Mohs 8Opal: Mohs 5.5–6.5Rhodonite: Mohs 5.5–6.5Tourmaline: Mohs 7–7.5Turquoise: Mohs 5–6Lapis Lazuli: Mohs 5–6Hematite: Mohs 5–6Tanzanite: Mohs 6–7Jade: Mohs 6–7Obsidian: Mohs 5–5.5Malachite: Mohs 3.5–4Amber: Mohs 2–2.5Selenite: Mohs 2Fluorite: Mohs 4Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Kyanite: Mohs 4.5–7Lepidolite: Mohs 2.5–31Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5window glass 5.5household dust (quartz) 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com
November birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the November birthstones marked: Topaz 8, Citrine 7.Topaz: Mohs 8Topaz 8Citrine: Mohs 7Citrine 71Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5glass 5.5dust 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com

November on the scale: Topaz 8, Citrine 7. Of the twelve months’ first-listed modern stones, Topaz is the 4th hardest.

Topaz: Aluminum fluorosilicate (Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂). Crystal system Orthorhombic. At Mohs 7 or above it survives everyday dust, which is quartz at exactly 7.

Who this month covers

Days in November 30
Scorpio · November 1–21 71.9% of November births
Sagittarius · November 22–30 28.1% of November births

November is mostly Scorpio territory: the sign claims 21 of its days, leaving Sagittarius the last 9, and in US births for 2000–2014 its share of the month was 71.9%. Exact sign dates →

Sources

  1. George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones”

Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “November Birthstones: Topaz and Citrine.” Accessed October 29, 2026. https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/november/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=November Birthstones: Topaz and Citrine |url=https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/november/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-29}}