The topaz is a fluorine aluminium silicate and comes in
yellow, yellow-brown, honey-yellow, flax, brown, green, blue, light blue, red
and pink ... and sometimes it has no colour at all.
The topaz has been known for at least 2000 years and is one
of the gemstones which form the foundations of the twelve gates to the Holy
City of the New Jerusalem. These so-called apocalyptic stones are intended to
serve in protection against enemies and as a symbol of beauty and splendour. It
cannot be proved conclusively whether the name of the topaz comes from the
Sanskrit or the Greek, though the Greek name 'topazos' means 'green gemstone'.
The Romans dedicated the topaz to Jupiter.
The colour in which the topaz is most commonly found is
yellow, and that is the colour in which it occurs in one of the major German
gemstone rocks, the Schneckenstein (a topaz-bearing rock said to resemble a
snail) in Saxony. In the 18th century, it was mined there during a period of
over 60 years. However, most of the crystals were hardly a centimetre in
diameter. You had to go to Siberia or Brazil to find crystals as large as your
fist. Having said that, anyone who is interested can convince himself of the
beauty of cut specimens in the topaz set in Dresden's Grünes Gewölbe (Green
Vault). The enormous and magnificent topaz from the Portuguese crown, the
Braganza, was for a long time thought to be a diamond. It weighs 1680 ct.
In mysticism, the topaz is attributed with a cooling,
styptic and appetising effect. It is said to dispel sadness, anger and
nocturnal fears, to warn its wearer of poisons and protect him or her from
sudden death. It is reputed to make men handsome and intelligent and sterile
women fertile and happy. However, it is probably better not to rely too much on
its magical powers, since it was also claimed that you could immerse your hand
in boiling water after a topaz had been thrown into it and retract it again
unharmed! It is the stone of the month November.
In the Empire style, the topaz was still widespread, but
then the more reasonably priced citrine took over from it and even usurped its
name - gold topaz. Since then, the topaz has been a rather exotic figure in the
jewellery trade, and has been given the additional predicate 'pure' to make it
clear that the topaz, not the quartz topaz, is meant. And it is still waiting
for its well deserved comeback to this day.
Types of Topaz
The market is flooded with different types of topaz today.
If you plan to buy topaz, it is vital to know the various types. Read on to
know the various types.
Imperial Topaz - The imperial topaz is the rarest and most
expensive type. It has a beautiful yellow shade. This type of topaz appears to
have a golden-orange-pink colour under daylight and appears orange-pink under
incandescent light. However, this gem is imbued with pinkish to reddish tints
to enhance its yellow shade to a richer golden shade. Imperial topaz is very
popular and the most sought after gem by jewellers.
Precious Topaz - Precious topaz is mined in many places
across the world amongst which Brazil is the most famous. It is a yellow
crystal used widely in jewellery items and other attractive ornamental
purposes. It is highly valuable than other synthetic or man-made topaz gems.
Topaz is a highly precious gemstone having a hardness factor of 8 and a high
refractive index.
Blue Topaz - Topaz stones generally undergo an irradiation
treatment by synthetic means to enhance their colour. Natural precious topaz gems are exposed to
the irradiation treatment to preserve their golden-brown colour. Whereas, on
the other side, colourless or smoky topaz gems when exposed to irradiation by
electrons and neutrons result in beautiful different colours. The colour mostly
results in blue and other shades of silver, green or teal. They are not true
topaz stones and relatively inexpensive.
There are various colours of blue present in the topaz like
sky blue, London blue, Swiss blue, light blue, sierra blue and electric
blue. However, the colours within the
stone can fade after sometime or even break off as they only touch the top
layer of the stone.
White Topaz - White topaz is a clear and transparent type
which can be mistaken with a diamond when cut perfectly. The white topaz is the
most common variety. The Glacier topaz is the purest type of white topaz. These
gems are untreated because of their clear purity. The glacier topaz is found in
Murzinka mines in Ekaterinburg.
Smoky Topaz Gems - The smoky varieties are also mined in
many places around the world. They are quartz like crystals having an orange or
yellow colour. These topaz gems are not precious gems technically, but are
often confused as being real topaz due to language disparity
No comments:
Post a Comment