Topaz, one of the gemstones for the month of November, is a hard silicate metal consisting of aluminum and fluorine hydroxide, ranking at an eight on the Mohs Hardness Scale. This hardness makes it suitable for daily wear with a fairly high resistance to scratching. While it may be commonly known to be a yellow or orange color, known as "precious topaz," it's actually a colorless stone. However, its impurities in its crystal structure can also cause it to naturally turn into any color in an array of hues such as green, violet, pink, red, or blue tones, per Farmers' Almanac.

The gemstone's name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit word, "tapas," which translates to "fire." It is also believed that the word topaz comes from "Topazios," the Greek name for the Egyptian island in the Red Sea known as St. John's Island. The word topaz was actually assigned to any stone found in the yellow or orange color. Because topaz is colorless or a variety of colors, other gemstones in that color were mistaken as topaz. Some people believe topaz was mined in this island as far back as Ancient Egypt, when Cleopatra's green emeralds were confused for topaz, but there was no evidence to suggest it was mined there. Historians believe Cleopatra's green gemstones may have actually been peridot. It wasn't until 1737 when genuine topaz was found in Germany (via Gemporia).