The topaz stone

Blue topaz is the most popular variety of topaz and is one of the most sought-after gemstones for rings.

But did you know?

the blue color of topaz is often obtained by machining.

Blue topaz is characterized by three distinct shades of blue: London Blue, Swiss Blue and Sky Blue, which you can observe comparatively in the following photo.

From left to right, a sky blue, Swiss blue and London blue topaz

Topaz is a very hard gemstone that can take on a wide range of colors, naturally or through processing, ranging from natural imperial topaz, considered a gemstone in terms of price, to mystic topaz, yellow topaz or even pink topaz.

Natural topaz crystals ranging from yellow, to pink, to brown

We invite you to take stock of this precious stone so appreciated in jewelry.

Index

Examples of jewelry with blue topaz stones:

General information about the topaz stone

Topaz is a stone known since ancient times, its name derives from Greek Topaz. It has been used for thousands of years as an amulet, power stone and later in jewelry.

Pure topaz is transparent; it is the impurities present in its structure that color it.

Topaz is a pleochroic stone, meaning it changes color depending on the angle you look at it from, as shown in this video:

Topaz composition

Topaz stone is a fluorine-containing aluminum silicate with the formula Al2SiO4(F,OH)2 and may contain traces of other metals. The result is a very hard mineral, hardness 8 on the Mohs scale.

For comparison, topaz is less hard than rubies, sapphires and diamonds, but harder than emerald, beryl, tourmaline or aquamarine.

comparative table of the hardness of topaz with other fine stones (source)

The particular crystalline structure of topaz brings it closer to diamonds and makes it fragile to blows. We will return to this topic later in our chapter on topaz maintenance.

The color of the different varieties of topaz corresponds to the replacement of aluminum atoms with chromium, iron or cobalt atoms in the crystalline structure.

Natural topaz from Brazil and Russia

Topazes may exhibit a color change following prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Exploitation and extraction of topaz

The raw topaz stone comes in the form of a crystal that is generally elongated in shape.

Elongated natural colored topaz crystal

Natural topaz crystals can be particularly large. In 1965, a topaz weighing approximately 100 kilograms was discovered in Russia, and specimens weighing several kilograms are common.

El Dorado brown topaz is currently the largest cut crystal in the world weighing 31,000 carats. Weighing 6.2kg when cut, the rough stone weighed 37kg when discovered in 1984 in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

Topaz deposits have been found in many countries: Brazil, Afghanistan, Australia, Myanmar (Burma), China, Germany, France, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United States.

This map shows the main operational sites in the world:

The main topaz exploitation sites in the world, established by Aurélien Reys, a gemologist whose publications can be consulted here.

Notable deposits are:

• from Brazil which currently produces natural colored stones for jewelry of the best quality. Mines of Vermilion and Xanda in the state of Minas Gerais.
• of Pakistan which produces colored topaz in the districts of Gilgit, Baltistan, Shigar and Katlang.
• from Russia which was historically a large producer of high quality blue topaz. Topazes are mined from the Urals, in particular from the mine of Blumovskaya.
• of France (chauvinism obliges :)) with the topaz mines of Montmins, Échassières, Ébreuil, Chavence, La vilate, Chateloube, Razès.
• of the United States with the Thomas Tange mine in Utah famous for its natural cherry pink topaz.

Topaz stone colors

Topaz is a stone that can present a wide range of colors, being transparent, yellow, orange, brown, pink or blue depending on the impurities present or the treatments applied to the stone.

Blue topaz

Blue topaz is the best known and most common of all topaz varieties.

Natural blue topaz is very rare. Its color is due to atomic-level imperfections in its crystalline structure.

So much so that most blue topaz on the market are actually transparent topaz that have been treated by irradiation and then heating to give them their blue hue.

However, this process has the advantage of giving the stone a stable and invariable color over time.

Imperial Topaz

Red-orange topazes are called imperial topaz. These are the most coveted and also the most expensive of the topazes.

Their color is due to the presence of chromium atoms in their crystalline structure.

Treated mystical topaz

Mystic topaz is a transparent natural topaz that has undergone a surface treatment that gives it its characteristic appearance and is different from other types of topaz.

Since its appearance is due to a superficial deposit, it will tend to disappear over time due to wear and rubbing.

Yellow and brown topaz

Yellow and brown topaz also owe their color to the presence of impurities in their crystalline structure.

Brown topazes with a pale color are often called smoky topaz.

Topaz pink

Natural pink topaz without the rocky matrix

Natural pink topaz is expensive, its color is due to the presence of chromium atoms in its structure. This topaz color is very popular in Asia.

Cheap pink topaz found in jewelry stores are obtained by heat treatment or coating of ordinary topaz.

Obviously, pink topaz obtained by coating will have wear that heated topaz will not have.

Caring for topaz stones

The care you give your topaz is important because due to its crystalline structure, topaz tends to break along one of its cleavage planes when receives a shot.

Consequently, the risk is not to damage the stone but to break it completely.

Topaz is also sensitive to heat and strong temperature changes which can cause it to break.

When storing your turquoise jewellery, be careful not to mix the topaz with other stones as these could scratch it, as topaz is the hardest of all precious stones.

Cleaning

To clean a topaz you can use an old toothbrush with warm soapy water.

Water vapor and ultrasound must be avoided as they could damage the stone.

If your stone is treated with coating, you should avoid abrasive cleaning which could damage the coating. This is especially the case with mystical topazes.

Topaz price

The price of a topaz varies greatly depending on whether we are talking about a treated topaz or a natural colored topaz obtained without treatment.

Prices can vary from a few dozen to several hundred euros per carat.

To have a more precise vision I invite you to consult this table which indicates the price in dollars of the topaz carat based on its quality and colour:

colored topaz price chart

To go further: