Most months, discovering the birthstone has one clear answer, (sometimes two). But November gave me three. Topaz. Citrine. And, depending on the list you read, amber.
I found myself sitting in a pile of fallen leaves on the shore of a quiet lake just last week, knowing this yellow or rusty orange was to be my color for November. I picked up a couple of them before leaving and took them into the studio along with a tiny fungi as a compliment to those colors.
I spent two days playing in the paint creating some very lovely practice pieces as I searched for a deeper connection to the colors and a plan for the final work I would create from them.
I'll be honest: I'm still playing with the color to find my inspiration for this month’s larger painting. So let's explore these stones together.
One Glow, Three Stones
They overlap, but each has its own character.
Topaz has the widest range. It can be a pale golden honey, a deep brownish amber, or a vibrant orange shading into pink-red. Pure topaz is actually colorless. Its colors come from trace elements and tiny flaws in the crystal.
Read that again. The color we love was created through flaws. Flaws make us beautifully different from one another. That’s why I’m always saying “your “different” is your super power!”
Citrine is the sunny one. The name comes from the French word for lemon, and its yellow leans bright to amber. Natural citrine is fairly rare. Much of what's sold today is heat-treated amethyst.
Amber isn't a mineral at all. It's fossilized tree resin, tens of millions of years old, sometimes with tiny pieces of the ancient forest still trapped inside. I love the color of amber, there is a mysterious nature in its shadowy depth.
A Little History
Topaz carries centuries of lore. Tradition links it to the sun god, to strength and protection, and to calming anger and sadness. In 19th-century Russia, the warm orange-pink topaz from the Ural Mountains was so prized by the royal family that it became known as Imperial Topaz.
Amber traveled the ancient trade routes from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. The Greeks called it elektron, because rubbing it attracts light objects, like dust, hair, or bits of paper. That word is the root of our modern word electricity.
Citrine has long been called the "merchant's stone," tied in tradition to prosperity.
Different stones, different cultures, and the same thread: warmth, abundance, and the sun.
What This Color Means
Golden topaz is linked to the solar plexus, the energy center of personal power, confidence, and self-worth. This is the color of enoughness.
It’s not about hustling, and it”s not about having to prove yourself. It’s the quiet knowing that there is room for you, and that what you offer has value.
I think of it as your divine nature, the inner truth of who you are. It’s not an earned gold, but one to discover with yourself. It isn't flashy. It's warm, inviting, settled, and sure of itself.
Painting With Golden Colors
This month's palette is yellow, orange, pink, and amber, so here are a few notes:
- Think glazes, not flat yellow. Transparent layers glow. Opaque yellow can look chalky.
- Build the range with yellow ochre, a transparent gold or yellow oxide, a touch of cadmium orange, and a pink such as quinacridone rose.
- Deepen with burnt sienna or burnt umber. Black turns yellow, a little muddy and/or a beautiful green. It’s all about perspective.
- Two ways to make gold glow: a warm dark ground (like Opal's) or a warm light ground glazed in layers, which looks like light passing through resin.
The Artist Mindset Connection
This ties to Key #5 in my 10 Keys to Living as an Artist, which is this… decide your work is worth getting paid for.
Comparison is a scarcity belief. It whispers that there isn't enough room, and that someone else's success takes something away from you. This belief might look like “she’s better than me so maybe there is no point in even trying.”
But gold doesn't compare. It simply glows. Your work has its own people, its own light, and its own place in the world. There is enough - you are enough.
Where to Learn More This Month
I'm going deeper into this color on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to follow the whole year, here's the Color Symbolism Series playlist:
→ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhus2HAp6tIqpAsTtUtfzsQncYSHjR-A0
Not flashy gold, but an awakening gold. Thank you for joining me here today!
— Tonya
P.S. If you want help building a business around your own voice, I teach the full 10 Keys to Living as an Artist inside my Patreon. There's a seven day free trial membership at the lower level of support, which includes the full Keys framework.
→ https://www.patreon.com/creativespiritstudios