A topaz gem is a traditional birthstone for November. The stone is believed to dispel sadness and fear, ward off poisons and reverse infertility. The word topaz means “fire”. For centuries, many people in India believed that a topaz worn above the heart would assure long life, beauty, and intelligence.
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate (mainly aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite) in minute crystalline form, which has deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries.
