50+ Lifestyles

Flowers and Jewels

Chrysanthemum is the flower for November

By Eloise Graham

Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China many centuries ago, and have appeared in ancient Chinese writings since 15th century BC. The Chinese used the chrysanthemum as an herbal remedy for various ailments such as headache relief, reducing blood pressure and as an anti-inflammatory. The chrysanthemum finally made its way over to Europe in the 17th century where Carl Linnaeus, the father of taxonomy, coined the name “chrysanthemum”. The name is a fusion of the words “chrysos” meaning gold, and “anthemion” meaning flower. Today, this November flower has become one of the most popular flowers around the world.

Chrysanthemums come in a variety of different colors, each holding a different meaning: white symbolizes loyalty and honesty; red symbolizes love and passion; purple symbolizes a wish to get well, and yellow symbolizes neglected love or sorrow.

Citrine and Topaz are the Gemstones for November

Citrine is a form of pale yellow to deep amber colored quartz. This gem is an affordable jewel because of its abundance in nature. This gemstone is readily available in Brazil and Spain.

Topaz is said to symbolize love and affection. The most prized topaz is the called the imperial topaz, which has a deep orange color with undertones of pink. This gem can also come in a variety of colors: pink, purple, yellow, orange and blue. The blue topaz is created by taking a colorless topaz stone and treating it with heat to achieve the blue hue. Sometimes this blue topaz is mistaken for the aquamarine. However, the topaz is a deeper, more intense aqua shade.