Even on less sacrosanct hands, the topaz was esteemed for its many therapeutic virtues. From earliest times, in accordance with the principles of sympathetic magic, the yellow color of the stone made it ideal for the cure of those afflicted with jaundice and other ailments of the liver. As the November stone, it was used in the Middle Ages to cure the contagions that begin to spread with the onset of cold weather. Its soothing color added it to the stones that were esteemed good for the eyes; the topaz was moistened with wine and laid upon aching eyelids. It also, many felt, cured diseases of the mind and helped the distraught to regain their mental balance. The birthday wearer of the topaz is likely to be an upright soul, with good judgment fortified by wisdom. Faith and a deep spirit of charity are within its bestowal, gifts important in November’s shortening days and chilly blasts. It is clear that one of the most gracious of all stones is the topaz. The nights are growing dark and long, Bitter is the wind and strong, With a wailful moan. Let your mirth the time beguile, Meet life with a cheery smile And a topaz stone. _December: Turquoise_ If cold December gave you birth, The month of snow and ice and mirth, Place on your hand a turquoise blue, Success will bless whate’er you do. December, the last month of the dying year, chill with the shivering threat of its dying, needs a great virtue to preserve it till it is overtaken by the touch of January and the promise of the new year. This great virtue the ancients found in the turquoise. Among the ancient peoples of many lands, it was the common practice to bury turquoises with the bodies of their monarchs and their chiefs, to tide them over the pitchy paths of transfer and bear them safely to the new world and the new life beyond the tomb. In the pyramids of Egypt, in the Aztec tombs, in the mounds of Mexico, jewels and beads of turquoise abound. At the beginning of life in this world, too, the turquoise is welcomed; there is still no better good-luck gift to a newborn child than a necklace of turquoise beads. It is significant that December is the birth month of the Holy Child, for whose nativity the gifts no doubt included turquoise.