Gemstones - Precious Gems
Topaz
Topaz is everywhere. It's blue, it's vivid, it's irriadiated, heated and it's cheap.
Yes, there are good quality topaz available and imperial topaz is not particularly cheap.
But just because topaz is cheap doesn't necessarily make it a bad gemstone. The various shades of blue topaz fill a need.
Topaz is also durable and tends to show good brilliance.
Topaz is available in transparent yellow, yellow brown, orangy brown, and pinkish brown colors and often very light green, light greenish yellow, violet, and colorless.
Orange-red "Imperial" topaz and pink colors are rare and most valuable.
Topaz carries a range of add-on names that attempt to classify the different colors , tones an satuturations.
- SilverTopaz is eye-clean, colorless, and brilliant
- Sky Blue Topaz is light to medium sky blue
- London Blue Topaz is the darkest of the blue Topazes
- Super Blue Topaz is a trade name referring to an intense vibrant blue Topaz. It is also known as Swiss Blue and Max Blue
Properties of Topaz
- Crystal System - Orthohrombic
- Hardness - 8
- Specific Gravity - 3.53 to 3.56
- Refraction - Double
- Refractive Index - 1.757 to 1.779
- Dispersion - .014
- Birefringence - .005 to 009
- Wearability - Very Good
- Special Care - None Required