The history and origin of Topaz

Topaz is an infamous stone that has been known for millennia.  The name Topaz was first given by the Greeks (called topazos), which meant any yellow stone.  Unfortunately, this custom of calling any yellow stone Topaz lasted for thousands of years and in many ways still today.  Many times Topaz is incorrectly labeled as Citrine or Yellow Quartz.  It is neither of these gemstones.  Topaz not only comes in a wonderful yellow, but a host of other great hues.

Topaz is a fluorosilicate.  Fluorosilicates include aluminum, fluoride, silicon and oxygen.  They also have other trace elements such as chromium that can cause different colors within the Topaz. Topaz are known to have color centers and while color centers are not fully understood, the color of Topaz can change, usually with the help of intense heat or radiation.

Topaz comes in a wealth of beautiful colors including blue, pink, red, lavender, yellow, brown, orange, colorless and green.  It should be noted that both red and lavender are usually extremely rare colors.  Colorless topaz and yellow are fairly common. 

It should be noted that Blue Topaz is one of the most popular gemstones sold commercially, usually due to its affordability and beautiful rich hues.  The vast majority of Blue Topaz is treated, usually with heat or radiation to enhance the color of the Topaz.  Usually Blue Topaz is formed from colorless Topaz, but it can be created from Blue or even yellow Topaz.

Topaz does have certain mystical and magical qualities associated with it, such as protecting one from illness or evil, to make one fertile and to make one happy or stable emotionally.

What is Topaz used for?

Topaz is an extremely attractive gemstone.  It comes in many different colors and can be cut into an infinite amount of shapes.  Topaz can be found in large masses and can be used as large carats or cut into sizes that are less than a carat in weight.

Topaz is primarily used for ornamental jewelry and while it is a gemstone onto itself, many times others will mistake it or call it by another gemstone’s name with similar qualities.  Topaz is made from aluminum, fluoride and silicon.  It is scientifically a fluorosilicate and comes in a host of many different colors, usually due to slight amount of trace elements present.  It should be noted that Topaz gets its color from color centers within the mineral.  Color centers are not fully understand, but by treating the color center of Topaz to heat or other types of radiation, you can dramatically change the color of Topaz.

When using Topaz for jewelry, it should be known that you should not expose your Topaz gemstones to intense heat or to ultrasonic waves.  Intense heat even consisting of sunlight in rare cases can dissipate the color.  Ultrasonic waves can crack the topaz, due to the sometimes brittle nature of this mineral.

Topaz comes in a wide range of colors consisting of blues, yellow, orange, pale pink, red, lavender, brown and colorless.  While Blue Topaz is perhaps the most popular, other colors such as red and lavender are very rare. 

This mineral also has certain mystical and magical qualities associated with it.  For instance, if you want to protect yourself or a loved one from illness or evil, Topaz can help, it can also said to increase the fertility of women and make one emotionally stable.