Topaz By Eric Hartwell At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Topaz is one of the favored gems by jewelers and the public alike. Like other gemstones, its popularity can be attributed to its colors, and the orange-yellow type or Imperial Topaz is the most precious and most expensive form of topaz. Also, the pink varieties are the most commonly sought after in the industry. It is also acknowledged as the birthstone for November. This gem can be found in the countries of Pakistan, Japan, Sweden, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Brazil as well as in the US.

The name topaz has Greek origins. It originated from the Greek word “topazos,” which means to seek. It is also the name given to an island found in the Red Sea, which was said to be hidden and hard to locate. This island was the source of topazes during the olden times, and it was said that large yellow stones of topaz could be mined in this island. But it was later believed that what the ancient period thought of as topaz was actually a yellowish olivine. During the Middle Ages, this term was used for labeling all gemstones colored yellow.

Characteristics of Topaz

Like other gemstones, topaz has a specific chemical composition. It is made up of aluminum fluorohydroxyl silicate. Its appearance is semi-transparent to transparent. Although a pure topaz is seen as transparent, it usually has impurities, which lends it its color of wine or straw colored. Other colors available for topazes are green, blue, pink, white, yellow, and gray. After heating a yellow topaz will turn a reddish-pink. When irradiated, this gemstone changes to a light shade of blue. The hardness of Topaz has been measured at 8 based on the Mohs scale. Its gravity is about 3.4-3.6.

Topaz as Jewelries

Topaz has been used in jewelries and is one of the favorite gemstones for hundreds of years. Jewelers nowadays manufacture topazes that show iridescent colors. They do this by applying a layer of titanium oxide to the stone through the process of physical vapor deposition. The most renowned of this creation is named as the Mystic Fire Topaz, which name the company Azotic Coatings patented during the late 1990s.

Because it is the birthstone for November, topazes became one of the favorite gifts given to anybody whose birthday falls on November, and the most purchased color of topaz is the blue topaz. Topaz not only found its way into being one of the favorite stones incorporated in silver and gold jewelries, but this precious stone has also made its way into watches and other accessories.

The stones from Siberia slowly fade in color on extended exposure to sunlight. Stones as these are advised to be kept in dark areas at all times. This fading type is generally not considered desirable by buyers so caution should be taken when purchasing topaz.

To date, the biggest topaz ever excavated was tagged as El Dorado, which was found in Brazil in the year of 1984. The El Dorado weighed a heavy 6.2 kg and is a known collection of the British Royal family.

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