From imperial oranges to Swiss and London blues, get to know topaz, the birthstone of November

The stories of gemstones are ever-changing. Prettily coloured, sparkly rocks have enchanted and romanced humanity for millennia; but our understandings of their mineral and geological properties are a relatively modern revelation. Tastes, as well, change over time, and trends for particular gemstones ebb and flow according to fashions. Topaz, the birthstone of November, is one such gem that embodies this fluidity of fate and favour over time.

Before we had the tools and knowledge to distinguish gemstones by their chemical and mineral makeups, the term ‘topaz’ was applied freely to almost all yellow gems. The name might come from Topazos, Greek for ‘to seek’, and a fog-covered island that was known in the ancient world to yield fabulous yellow-green gems. Today, we know the island as Zabargad, or St. John’s Island, in the Egyptian red sea—and we know for certain now that the gems those island produced are in fact peridots!

This historical case of mistaken identity has since been cleared up in modern times, and changed the way we identify and appreciate topazes. Far more than just yellow, this gemstone actually comes in a range of colours—and with vastly different price points.

pomellato yangzi topaz nudo — Pomellato ambassador Yang Zi wearing a suite of Nudo jewels set with sky and London blue topazes. Courtesy of Pomellato

Perhaps the most commonly encountered kinds today are blue topazes, which come in three main shades and styles. The lightest are sky blue topazes, which are well explained by their name. The medium hue Swiss blues are said to resemble the clear, vast skies of the alps. And deep, enigmatic London blue, which has a whiff of the city’s cloudy, moody skies.

These shades fall, of course, into the wider world of blue gemstones—nuances of colour that designers use to paint with in jewellery. The blues of topaz are different from, say, violet-tinged tanzanites, the vast spectrum and pure intensity of sapphires, or the limpid beauty of aquamarines.

audemars piguet royal oak topaz — A special 50th anniversary model of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, set with blue topaz. Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

audemars piguet royal oak topaz sapphire camouflage — Camouflage in Swiss blue topazes and sapphires—a trompe l'oeil effect on this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

chopard alpine eagle — A gradient of blue topazes balances against the vivid glacial dial on Chopard's Alpine Eagle timepiece. Courtesy of Chopard

It’s a nuance that we’ve seen used in jewellery watch designs, as a point of balance against other aesthetic considerations. Chopard, for example, frequently dresses its Alpine Eagle watches with textured glacial blue dials—an intensely icy colour that pairs beautifully with a gradient bezel of trapeze-cut topazes. When Audemars Piguet has coloured its Royal Oak with blue gemstones, it has used topaz to remarkable effect on two occasions: a special 50th anniversary model fully blanketed with baguette-cut topaz that had just the right touch of vibrancy and lightness, and in its current catalogue a ‘jewel camouflage’ model with a pattern formed of blue topaz and sapphires.

patek philippe gondolo ladies first topaz — Blue topaz hour markers bring a blue accent on Patek Philippe’s new Gondolo Ladies First. Courtesy of Patek Philippe

The latest watchmaker to dress a timepiece with topaz is Patek Philippe, which has dotted the indexes of a new Gondolo Ladies First joaillerie model with the gemstone. With its full diamond-set case, bezel, dial and lugs, and a peacock blue alligator strap, the trapeze-cut topazes bring an elegant touch of chromatic harmony to the watch’s subtle chromatic look.

Topaz is a bit of an overlooked gemstone—which may not necessarily be a bad thing. Because it is more abundant and more affordably priced than, say, sapphires, jewellery designs can be bigger, bolder, and more expressive without reaching prohibitively and impossibly high prices.

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Jewellery trends responding to price is not without historical precedent. When the Bourbon monarchy was restored to France, for example, two forces were at play in the trends for jewellery: a preference for colourful, expressive, and sentimental jewels; and the reality of a poorer French aristocracy after Napoleon Bonaparte led his country on disastrous invasion campaigns. Coupled with the influx of coloured gemstone trade, topaz—far more accessible, and just as fabulous as diamonds—began to feature more heavily in the jewellery parures of the time.

In fact, topaz in its most common natural form is colourless. These clear, or white, topaz were even described by Brazilian miners as pingos d’agoa—’drops of water’. These have been used for a long time as a replacement for diamonds, especially in jewels where one might want to wear clear, sparkly gemstones of a big, honking scale without veering into exorbitant price points.

cartier haryma necklace imperial topaz — Cartier Haryma necklace in yellow gold, set with five imperial topazes of 28.04cts, and with yellow, orange and white diamonds, garnets, emeralds and onyx. Courtesy of Cartier

The exception to this is imperial topaz, which is the rarest and most covetable form of this gemstone. Imperial topaz is generally warm in colour, and can span from orange to pink to red. The most intensely and vibrantly coloured gems are, of course, the most prized and precious. The origin of the name is contested, but some stories say that these gems were discovered in the Ural mountains, and that the best were swiftly reserved by the Tsars of Russia.

It’s little wonder that imperial topaz tends to feature in high jewellery, because its price-per-carat value can easily reach or exceed a magnitude of a hundred over colourless or blue topazes.

Some of the latest collections of high jewellery that used imperial topaz beautifully were by Chanel and Cartier. At Cartier, the Parisian jeweller is shining the spotlight this year on the extremes of collectible gemstones with Le Choeur des Pierres, a collection designed to speak to connoisseurs of gorgeous, exceptional rocks.

On the Haryma necklace, a tiger emerges from an abstract backdrop of its fur coat made of onyx, and yellow, orange and white diamonds. The great cat stretches forth, and slinks down a line of imperial topaz steps. The warm orange-yellow of the imperial topazes is an elegant choice, harmonising with and accentuating the presence of the feline figure.

chanel lion topaze bracelet — Chanel Lion Topaze bracelet in yellow gold set with a 27.95ct cushion-cut imperial topaz, and with diamonds, yellow sapphires, yellow beryls and orange spinels. Courtesy of Chanel

At Chanel, imperial topaz is one of the house’s favoured in-the-know gemstones for high jewellery. There are a number of remarkable imperial topaz jewels from the house’s Signes & Symboles collection this year. The Lion Topaze bracelet, which forms a monochromatic cuff and lion’s head out of yellow beryls and sapphires, is set with an impressive red imperial topaz at the chin of the beast—Mademoiselle Chanel’s Leo is a fire sign, after all.

chanel golden burst necklace — Chanel Golden Burst necklace—a spritz of imperial topaz inspired by the distinct amber hue of Chanel Nº5. Courtesy of Chanel

And then there was the Collection Nº5 line introduced in 2021, which paid homage to Chanel’s legendary fragrance through high jewellery. One of the creations that best bridged the juice with the jewel was the Golden Burst necklace, an explosion of imperial topaz that captured sensuous amber—that ambrosia of elegance and beauty that swishes around in the bottles of Chanel Nº5.

These creations certainly exist in the realm of one-of-a-kind wonders to make you dream, but the great magic of topaz is that they exist too in a plethora of more accessible forms. Here are Vogue Singapore’s picks.

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Belperron Pendulum earrings in yellow gold with white topaz, US$25,500

Available from Belperron.

bvlgari cabochon topaz ring — Courtesy of Bvlgari

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Bvlgari Cabochon ring in yellow gold with blue topaz and diamonds, $17,350

Available from Bvlgari.

by pariah topaz earrings — Courtesy of By Pariah

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By Pariah XL Orbit Hoops earrings in 14-carat gold and black rhodium-plated sterling silver with white topaz, $2,974

Available from By Pariah.

fernando jorge imperial topaz earrings — Courtesy of Fernando Jorge

4 / 19

Fernando Jorge High Fluid Doubled earrings in yellow gold with imperial topaz, price upon request

Available from Fernando Jorge.

foundrae topaz charm necklace — Courtesy of Foundrae

5 / 19

Foundrae Oversized Element chain in yellow gold with sky blue topaz, from $25,845

Available from Foundrae.

foundrae compass charm — Courtesy of Foundrae

6 / 19

Foundrae Internal Compass pendant in yellow gold with London blue topaz, from $2,095

Available from Foundrae.

fred pain de sucre topaz ring — Courtesy of Fred

7 / 19

Fred Pain de Sucre ring in white gold with London blue topaz and diamonds, price upon request

Available from Fred.

georg jensen torun torque necklace topaz — Courtesy of Georg Jensen

8 / 19

Georg Jensen Torun torque necklace in sterling silver with blue topaz, €667

Available from Georg Jensen.

greg yuna topaz pendant charm — Courtesy of Greg Yüna

9 / 19

Greg Yüna pendant in yellow gold with yellow topaz, $455

Available from Greg Yüna.

ileana makri chevalier lemon topaz ring — Courtesy of Ileana Makri

10 / 19

Ileana Makri Chevalier ring in gold-plated sterling silver with lemon topaz, €320

Available from Ileana Makri.

kavant sharart topaz sapphire earrings — Courtesy of Kavant & Sharart

11 / 19

Kavant & Sharart Talisman: The Eye earrings in white gold with blue topaz and sapphires, US$2,690

Available from Kavant & Sharart.

marina b pacila topaz ring — Courtesy of Marina B

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Marina B Pacila ring in yellow gold set with a sky blue topaz cabochon, and with rubellites, sapphires, and diamonds, price upon request

Available from Marina B.

mateo earrings topaz — Courtesy of Mateo

13 / 19

Mateo Something Blue earrings in 14-carat yellow gold with blue topaz and diamonds, $6,237

Available from Mateo.

mellerio pierreries earring topaz — Courtesy of Mellerio

14 / 19

Mellerio Pierreries girandole earring in yellow, pink and green gold with topaz, aquamarine and diamonds, €12,500

Available from Mellerio.

pomellato nudo topaz necklace — Courtesy of Pomellato

15 / 19

Pomellato Nudo necklace in rose and white gold with Swiss and sky blue topazes and diamonds, $50,900

Available from Pomellato.

simone jewels edgy ring topaz — Courtesy of Simone Jewels

16 / 19

Simone Jewels Edgy Double Gem ring in white gold with London blue topaz and diamonds, $9,500

Available from Simone Jewels.

simone jewels nile ring topaz — Courtesy of Simone Jewels

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Simone Jewels The Nile Gem ring in rose gold with London blue topaz and diamonds, $9,900