As the leaves fall and winter approaches, the November birthstones, topaz and citrine, bring warmth to the season. With their sparkling golden hues, these stones offer a welcome glow as the days grow shorter.
Art Deco Pink Topaz & Diamond Cluster Ring c.1930
Topaz
The story of topaz stretches deep into antiquity. Its name likely derives from Topazios, the ancient Greek name for an island in the Red Sea (now Zabargad), once believed to be its source. For centuries, 'topaz' was a term applied broadly to many yellow stones until gemmological understanding refined its classification in the 18th and 19th centuries.
With a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, topaz is one of the harder gemstones, making it suitable for rings and everyday wear with a little care. Pure topaz is colourless, but trace elements of iron, chromium, or other impurities give rise to a spectrum of colours, from the light pinks to Imperial topaz to the vivid blues. Topaz is mined in several regions around the world, most notably Brazil, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, and Nigeria. Brazil’s Minas Gerais state produces some of the finest examples, including the rare and highly prized Imperial Topaz. Colourless topaz is often found in Sri Lanka and Nigeria and can be gently treated to achieve the cool blue shades that have become a modern classic in jewellery design.
Art Nouveau Peridot & Pink Topaz Necklace c.1905
In Renaissance Europe, colourless topaz was used as a substitute for diamonds because of its clarity and brilliance. As gemstone cutting advanced through the 17th and 18th centuries, topaz found a new role alongside rose-cut and table-cut diamonds in grand Continental jewels such as bodice ornaments, stomachers, and pendants in silver and silver-gilt mounts, often foil-backed to intensify their glow by candlelight.
Topaz was very popular during the Georgian period as its gentle hues complemented the era’s romantic and sentimental sensibilities. Golden, pink, and light blue topazes can be found mounted in high-carat gold with intricate cannetille and filigree detailing. Typical Georgian parures featured graduated oval topaz stones in gold filigree frames, accompanied by girandole brooches, bracelets, and pendant earrings, while rivières of foil-backed topaz were equally fashionable. Rings and keepsakes frequently took the form of hearts, padlocks, and keys, echoing the sentimental language of love so characteristic of the age. This was also a period of fascination with Brazilian topaz, newly imported by Portuguese traders; by the mid-18th century, large quantities of fine crystal were being shipped to Lisbon and Porto, where they were cut and set into jewels.
Edwardian Golden Topaz & Diamond Necklace c.1920
Topaz remained fashionable throughout the Victorian period. Its warm, golden and pink tones suited the romanticism of early Victorian design, and it was often paired with seed pearls or diamonds, framed in rope-work, cannetille or repoussé detailing. As the century progressed, jewellers experimented with larger stones and bolder settings, reflecting the grandeur of the High Victorian taste. Toward the latter part of the 19th century, newly discovered Russian deposits in the Ural Mountains introduced the celebrated Imperial topaz, prized for its rosy-golden hue. This exquisite variety became especially favoured by Russian jewellers such as Fabergé, who incorporated it into diamond-set brooches and pendants of Neo-Classical inspiration, who used it in diamond-set brooches and Neo-Classical designs that looked back to Regency elegance.
The Edwardian era saw a preference for pale pink and soft golden topazes, chosen for their subtle charm. These delicate stones were set in platinum and arranged in jewels designed as garlands, ribbons, and bows. Seed pearls and old-cut diamonds framed the pastel topazes in light, lace-like settings, creating jewels meant to glow softly in candlelight. In every respect, topaz during this era embodied the femininity and grace that defined Edwardian taste.
By the mid-twentieth century, changing technology and modern design brought a new chapter in the history of the stone. Advances such as heat and irradiation in gemstone treatment allowed once colourless topaz to be transformed into a range of permanent blue shades including sky, Swiss, and London blue. Set in white gold and platinum, blue topaz became the stone of choice for bold mid-century designs.
Citrine
Madeira Citrine Ring c.1950
The name citrine derives from the Old French citron, meaning 'lemon'. As a member of the quartz family, citrine has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, making it durable for everyday wear but with care. Its colour is caused by trace amounts of iron within the crystal lattice, producing tones that range from honey to Madeira orange. The finest examples are found in Brazil, Bolivia, Madagascar and Russia, with Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul region yielding the most gem-quality material.
Natural citrine is comparatively rare, and by the mid-18th century, mineralogists discovered that amethyst and smoky quartz could be heat-treated to achieve the same lemon and golden tones. This process made the stone more widely available and contributed to its growing popularity. In some Bolivian mines, amethyst and citrine occur naturally together within the same crystal in a bicoloured variety known as ametrine.
Georgian Citrine Fob Seal c.1820
In antiquity and throughout the Renaissance, yellow quartz was frequently mistaken for topaz. Their resemblance led to centuries of confusion in trade and language, and they were often used interchangeably in jewellery. By the Georgian period, citrine had established its own identity and appeared in foil-backed gold settings, combined with garnet, topaz, or amethyst.
In Scotland, locally sourced citrine known as Cairngorm quartz became popular and was set into silver brooches, dirk handles, and kilt pins decorated with Celtic motifs. This tradition flourished under Queen Victoria’s patronage of Balmoral, as Highland inspired jewellery became synonymous with her reign. During the Victorian era, jewellers paired citrine with seed pearls, enamel and diamonds to enhance their glow. By the Art Deco period, citrine was set into cocktail rings and geometric brooches by designers such as Boucheron, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.
At Thomas Glover, we have a lovely selection of topaz and citrine jewellery. From delicate Edwardian pink topaz designs to Retro citrine rings, each piece has been handpicked for its design and quality.
Comments