Topaz

What is Topaz?

Much like Tourmalines, Topaz comes in a wide variety of colours, from blues to pinks, colours to rival even the finest fancy sapphires.

How does topaz get its colour though? Well, topaz is allochromatic, which means it is accidentally rather than inherently pigmented. This occurs when impurities or defects in the crystal structure occur, rather than being altered by an element that makes up the mineral’s chemical structure. Coloured topaz is usually identified by the hue, whether it be blue topaz, pink topaz, or brown topaz. However, some topazes have special trade names.

Colours of Topaz

Imperial Topaz – Also known as Golden Topaz, Imperial Topaz usually has a dark orange colour, but can appear light red-orange-yellow in certain lighting as well. This colour can occur naturally, although it is extremely rare, making it one of the more expensive varieties of topaz.

Sherry Topaz – Sherry topaz, named after sherry wine, is a yellowish brown or brownish yellow to orange colour.

Blue Topaz – Often considered the most popular colour of topaz, blue topaz can start from pale blue up to a deep blue. Before treatments to enhance colour, blue topaz was expensive, and naturally occurring blue topaz still can be.

Yellow Topaz – Yellow topaz is well known for its gold colour, however can also come in softer hues as well.

Pink Topaz – Pink topaz comes from a sole deposit near the Brazilian town of Ouro Preto, known as Mino de Capão. The mine yields about 12kg of this gem annually, making it quite rare and expensive. However, these gemstones can make stunning earrings.

Clear Topaz – Colourless topaz, also known as white topaz, is the mostly widely abundant naturally occurring variety of topaz and will often be treated to give it a different colour. It is usually transparent, however can contain rainbow inclusions.

Topaz Jewellery

As topaz comes in many colours, it can be paired with just about any metal, whether it be platinum, silver, rose gold, yellow gold, or white gold. A blue topaz might be better suited to cooler metals which will enhance the cool tone of the blue. Meanwhile, a pink topaz might be striking with rose gold. Alternatively, you might choose a contrasting colour metal to really make the gem stand out.

Topaz ranks at an 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which makes them well suited for most types of jewellery. An engagement ring, however, or some other piece of jewellery that is worn regularly on your fingers or wrists, is more likely to come into contact with other surfaces and therefore get worn down. However, it can still make a great option for an engagement ring, you’ll just need to treat it with extra care. Earrings, necklaces, and hairpins are better suited to topaz, due to the minimal contact they’ll have with other surfaces.

Topaz Cuts

Topaz occurs in long, columnar formations, making ovals and pear cuts those that provide the best yields. That doesn’t mean you won’t find other cuts though, such as marquise and trilliant. As will be discussed later, topaz has perfect cleavage, which means there’s a plane within the gem where it can crack. Therefore, gem cutters must take special care when faceting, polishing, and setting the stone. Some topaz might include golden, needle-like inclusions of limonite. While these inclusions might be avoided, they may sometimes be used to produce interesting visual effects.

Topaz Value

The value of a topaz can vary greatly depending on the colour of the gemstone. Rarer varieties such as imperial or pink topaz will cost a great deal more than other colours. Additionally, treated clear topaz that has had its colour induced will be a great deal cheaper than naturally coloured topaz. As no one will really know the difference, it is worth considering getting treated topaz, as it will cost a great deal less.

How to Care for Topaz

If you have a heat treated topaz, it is important not to expose it to extreme temperatures, as this may alter its colouration.

Additionally, topaz has what is called perfect basal cleavage; this means that weaker planes in its crystal structure might crack if the stone is hit from a certain direction. It is important, then, to take care not to knock topaz jewellery against anything and, perhaps, to avoid wearing it on your dominant hand which comes into contact with more surfaces. Additionally, it will be best to store topaz jewellery in individual pouches to avoid them being hit or scratched by other jewellery.

When it comes to cleaning your topaz jewellery, avoid using jewellery cleaners as they contain chemicals and acids often too harsh for this stone. Instead, use slightly warm water with a mild soap and a soft cloth to clean any dirt off. Alternatively, take your jewellery to be professionally cleaned.

Topaz Origin

Unfortunately, the specifics regarding the discovery of topaz have never actually been confirmed. While the name comes from Sanskrit, meaning “fire”, this gives us little information about how the gem was discovered. Some archaeologists believe that early findings of topaz were in fact peridot.

Where is Topaz Found?

Topaz can be found in many different places, depending on the colour and variety. Primarily, though, it is found in the USA, Brazil, a few countries in Africa, as well as many countries in Asia.

Topaz Mining

Topaz mining varies depending on the scale of the mine. Larger mines will use mostly open pit mining techniques, occasionally coupling them with underground mining methods, to extract the gems. Bulldozers, drag scrapers, or water cannons will be used to remove unwanted materials from the deposit, before it is mined.

For smaller scale mining operations, dry sieving or alluvial mining is used. Dry sieving is most frequently used, separating the gems from other minerals. In this technique, a shovel is used to fill a shaker box with some of the deposit. Movement of the box then separates out the gravel and dust. The topaz is then hand-picked from the remaining pebbles.

Unfortunately, topaz mining can be problematic. While small well managed mines have little impact, Madagascar, a hotspot for biodiversity which has unique native species found nowhere else, has been affected by topaz mining. Several gemstone rushes have led to mining in or near protected areas or critical ecosystems. Such influxes of itinerant miners results in deforestation and hunting of wild animals, which goes widely unregulated. These mines can be both legal and illegal, springing up all over Madagascar. They are then completely abandoned, with little to no effort to restore the natural ecosystem that was once there.

Ethical Topaz

Topaz is found and traded worldwide, meaning the can be affected by the same human rights, working conditions, money laundering, corruption, and conflict funding issues that any gemstone or commodity might be.

There are currently no independently audited vendors for ethically sourced topaz.

Topaz Meaning

Topaz, depending on its colour can have many different meanings and associations. Topaz is the birthstone of November and also given for a fourth, nineteenth, or twenty-third wedding anniversary, making it the perfect stone to create a bespoke piece with for your loved one.

Topaz was one of the stones worn by Aaron in his breastplate; he placed it as the second stone in the first row of stones, though some scholars now believe it might have been chrysolite or peridot. Additionally, it is one of the gemstones which formed the foundations of the twelve gates of the Holy City of New Jerusalem. These stones were known as the apocalyptic stones and were intended to protect against enemies as well as being a symbol of beauty and splendour.

In ancient Egypt, topaz was said to symbolise the Egyptian Sun god, Ra, while ancient Greeks linked it with Apollo, another god of the sun. This connection likely comes from its name, topaz, which means “fire” in Sanskrit. Hindus believed that the gemstone’s connection to fire extended to protective abilities. They believed it could protect homes from burning down.

Meanwhile, African Shamans used the gemstone in healing rituals. Similarly, Ancient Greeks and Romans used topaz for strength and preventing injuries. Later on, in the same area, during the Renaissance it was believed that topaz could break spells and quell anger.

In ancient times, it was also believed that topaz would prevent sleepwalking and improve eyesight. Another quality of topaz was that it was believed to change colour when near food or drink that had been poisoned.

Topaz Treatments

As stated earlier, it is quite common for topaz to be treated to induce colour changes. A jeweller should always make you aware whether this is the case when purchasing a gemstone. One common technique to alter colour is known as the London process. Aside from this, there are several other methods of treatment.

Temperature – This is the most traditional treatment, known as heat-treatment. Stones are exposed to extreme temperatures to alter their colour.

Reflection – This is also known as irradiating, as the topaz is treated with gamma irradiation. There are some concerns regarding radioactivity, which you can learn more about here.

Coating – The topaz is dressed by a thin layer of metal or mineral elements and then stored in a vacuum to create a sky blue topaz.