Everything you need to know about Topaz Gemstone
Topaz has a very extensive colour spectrum that, in addition to brown, covers numerous tones and saturations of the colours blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple.
Topaz, which naturally lacks colour, is so abundant that it is often dyed blue via a process called "bluing." Topaz is also pleochroic, meaning that the same crystal may display multiple hues from different angles.
Description
Topaz is well known in the market as a low-priced blue gem. So they are shocked to realize that its typically treated blue hue makes up for most of its occurrences.
Also, they may be astonished to learn that Topaz is available in a wide range of hues, including pinks and purples that are on par with the most expensive fancy sapphires.
Topaz is allochromatic, meaning its colour is not due to a component of its fundamental chemical makeup but rather to impurity elements or faults in its crystal structure. Topaz's inherent pink, red, and violet-to-purple tones result from the presence of the element chromium.
In addition, Topaz may be yellow, brown, or blue due to atomic-level flaws in its crystal structure. In its brown variety, Topaz is sometimes confused for smokey quartz.
Besides brown, Topaz may be found in various colours, including blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple, in varying shades and intensities. However, Topaz is often treated to turn it blue since it naturally lacks colour.
Topaz comes in a rainbow of colours, mostly referred to by their hue names (blue Topaz, pink Topaz, etc.). However, a few have their unique trade names. Reddish orange to orange-red, Imperial Topaz is a medium shade. These hues are among the most valuable for the gemstone.
For its similarity in colour to sherry wine, a gem might be called sherry topaz. To help differentiate them from the similarly coloured but less costly citrine and smoky quartz, stones in this colour range are commonly referred to as precious Topaz.
Additionally, Topaz is pleochroic, meaning it displays a spectrum of colours according to the angle at which you're looking at it.
Facts
| Absorption Spectrum | Birefringence | Colours |
| Heat-treated pink gems contain Cr and may show a Cr spectrum with a weak line at 6820. As in ruby, this line may reverse and become fluorescent. Otherwise, not diagnostic. | Varies by colour, 0.008-0.011. See "Identifying Characteristics" below. | Colourless, white, grey, pale to medium blue, greenish, yellow, yellow-brown, orange, pale pink, deep pink, tan, beige, red. |
| Birthstone | Cleavage | Dispersion |
| November | Perfect basal (1 direction) | 0.014 |
| Crystallography | Enhancements | Etymology |
| Orthorhombic. Crystals are prismatic, stumpy, sometimes very large, often well formed; also massive, granular, as rolled pebbles. | Pink or red may be heat treated. Most blue Topaz has been irradiated and heat treated. CVD treatment (surface coating) is used to create mystic topaz. | From the Sanskrit tapas for fire, alluding to the orange colour, or from Topazios, an ancient Greek name for St. John's Island in the Red Sea, where the gem was said to be mined. |
| Formula | Fracture | Hardness |
| Al2SiO4(F, OH)2 + Cr | Conchoidal | 8 |
| Inclusions | Luminescence | Occurrence |
| Usually, planes of two or more non-miscible liquids contain a gas bubble. Two and three-phase inclusions have also been noted. | Blue and colourless: weak yellow-green in LW, weaker in SW, greenish-white to violet-blue in X-rays, and gems turn brown due to irradiation. Sherry brown and pink: orange-yellow in LW, weaker in SW, and sometimes greenish-white in SW. This material fluoresces brownish yellow to orange in X-rays. | In pegmatites and high-temperature quartz veins, cavities in granite and rhyolite; in contact zones; in alluvial deposits as pebbles. |
| Heat Sensitivity | Luminescence Present | Luminescence Type |
| No | Yes | Fluorescent, UV-Long, UV-Short, X-ray Colors |
| Lustre | Optic Sign | Optics |
| Vitreous | Biaxial + | RI: 1.607-1.649; biaxial (+). See "Identifying Characteristics" below |
| Pleochroism | Specific Gravity | Refractive Index |
| Varies with the colour of the material: • Dark yellow: citron yellow/honey yellow/straw yellow. • Pale blue: bright blue/pale rose/colourless. • Dark rose-red: red to dark red/yellow to honey yellow/rose red. • Rose-pink: yellow/purple/lilac. • Red-brown: reddish/reddish/yellow. • "Burned" pink: rose/rose/colourless. • Brown: yellow-brown/yellow-brown/weak yellow-brown. • Green: colourless to blue-green/green to bright blue-green/colourless to bright green. |
There is a rough correlation between colour and density: pink: 3.50-3.53; yellow: 3.51-3.54; colourless: 3.56-3.57; blue: 3.56-3.57. See "Identifying Characteristics" below. | Varies by colour, 1.607-1.649. See "Identifying Characteristics" below. |
| Polish Luster | Transparency | Typical Treatments |
| Vitreous | Transparent to opaque | Heat Treatment, Irradiation, Surface Coating |
| Varieties | Variety of | Wearability |
| Imperial Topaz, Mystic Topaz | Best Known Gemstones | Very Good |
History
Topazios, the ancient Greek name for a little island in the Red Sea today known as Zabargad, is widely accepted as the origin of the term topaz. (The island was never a producer of Topaz, but peridot, which was sometimes mistaken for Topaz until modern mineralogy, was mined there in the past.)
Likewise, the term topas or tapaz, which implies "fire" in Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language), is where its roots may lie, according to some researchers.
Topaz was thought to provide its wearer with courage by the ancient Greeks. In Renaissance Europe (the time between the 1300s and 1600s), Topaz was believed to have the power to remove anger and dissolve enchantments. For ages, many Indians have believed that a topaz worn around the throat brings the wearer health, attractiveness, and a sharp mind.
For a long time, the term "topaz" was used to describe any transparent gem that was yellow, brown or orange. However, many of these stones were reclassified as separate species with the development of modern gemology.
Due to the lengthy history between Topaz and the colour yellow, citrines are sometimes mistaken for Topaz. However, citrine is not a diamond but a kind of quartz. Compared to citrine, Topaz is harder and more brilliant because of its distinct physical and optical qualities.
Imperial Topaz was first given its name in Russia in the eighteenth century. In honour of the Russian tsar, the pink gemstone topaz was given its current name after being discovered in the Ural Mountains. The royal family alone was permitted to own the precious stone.
Stone Sizes
Gem-quality topaz crystals may weigh hundreds of pounds and are not uncommon. Various coloured materials have been used to create gems up to 20,000 carats in size.
The acquisition of enormous topaz jewels is a source of great pleasure for museums. But, unfortunately, there aren't many pink stones larger than 5 carats (Pakistan) and deep orange gems larger than 20 carats (Brazil) worth talking about.
The Russian oval that weighs 79+ carats is the biggest pink Topaz ever discovered. In addition, it has been said that a 5-by-27-centimetre orange Brazilian topaz crystal weighing close to 2 kilograms was recently discovered.
Other magnificent gems, including one weighing more than 100 and several over 50 carats, were extracted from a beautiful lot (9 cuttable crystals) discovered in the 1960s.
There are blue giant topazes, colourless giant topazes, and light yellow giant topazes. The biggest red Topaz ever discovered was around 70 carats from the tips of several Brazilian crystals.
- According to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the following colours can be found: 7 725 (yellow, Brazil); 3 273 (blue, Brazil); 2 680 (colourless, Brazil); 1 469 (yellow-green, Brazil); 1 300 (sherry, Brazil); 6 85 (pale blue, Brazil); 3 25 (colourless, Colorado); 17 0 8 (champagne, Madagascar); 14 64 (pale blue, Texas); 9 3 6 (orange (blue, California).
- New York's American Museum of Natural History has the following specimens from Brazil: 71 (red), 308 (pale blue), 258 (deep blue), 1463 (deep blue, egg-shaped), and 241. (pale orange-brown, Myanmar).
- London, UK's Natural History Museum: 137 lbs. (Norwegian crystal); 1,300 lbs. (colourless Brazilian crystal); 614 lbs (blue, Brazil).
- 3,000 (blue, Brazil) in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto; 365 (pale brown, Myanmar).
- It is measured in grams at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1,800) (orange crystal, Brazil).
- Four hundred and ninety-eight, sixty-one at Canada's National Museums in Ottawa, Ontario (light blue, untreated, Brazil).
- There are a wide variety of gemstones in private collections, including 173 (blue, Texas); 7,033 (dark blue, treated); 21,327 (light blue, treated, emerald-cut, reputedly the world's largest faceted gemstone called "The Brazilian Princess"); 79 (pink oval, Russia, world's largest this colour but not flawless); 58.8 (purple, oval, Brazil, world's largest but not flawless) (pink oval. Russia, flawless).
Stone Care
The perfect cleavage of Topaz means that neither ultrasonic nor steam technologies are suitable for cleaning the gemstone. These stones are susceptible to cracking from both vibrations and heat. Instead, switch to a gentle brush, liquid detergent, and hot water.
Certain prongs might damage the cleavage plane of a topaz. However, a professional jeweller can place the stone securely without causing any stress. A topaz's stress level may also be lowered by placing it in a safe environment.
FAQs
Is Topaz a real gemstone?
The Topaz is a precious stone. Therefore, when prepared, it may be cut and polished to produce jewellery and other adornments.
And that's not all it can do! The traditional November birthstone is the orange Topaz, sometimes called valuable Topaz; it is also the emblem of friendship and the state gemstone of Utah in the United States.
Is Topaz a lucky stone?
Topaz, the traditional birthstone for November, and citrine, the contemporary birthstone for December, combine to produce the auspicious birthstones.
It is believed that the gemstone topaz, also called the "lover of gold," may bring you financial success. On the other hand, citrine is supposedly a stone that bestows success, wealth, protection, and good luck onto its wearer.
What is the true colour of Topaz?
Topaz is a well-known gem traditionally associated with November as its birthstone. It's usually considered a golden yellow, although it also comes in blue and colourless forms. Natural pink, red, and exquisite golden orange, often with a pink tone, are very uncommon.
Who should not wear Topaz?
If Jupiter is located in the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, or eighth house in the native's horoscope, then the native is permitted to wear Topaz. However, because Marrakesh is the seventh lord, you should avoid using Topaz because of these factors.