By Lauriane Lognay

A jeweller’s life is never complete without a few topaz along the way. Its hardness, along with its high reflectivity and lustre make for a dependable gemstone in any jewellery store. Well known in different shades of blue and yellow, this gem is considered inexpensive and hard enough to be great practice stones for a setter willing to learn the trade, or students looking to make their first jewellery collection without emptying their pockets. Used by Frederick Mohs to determine the 8th place on the famous Mohs scale of hardness that we still use today, the gemstone also appears in a great panoply of shades, saturation, and colours. Often overlooked as an ordinary and modest stone, the peculiar topaz has many qualities to render it interesting and easily sellable, even to the most ardent critic.

A grand stone

Topaz can be found in large quantities and big sizes in several localities like Brazil, Afghanistan, Australia, China, United States, and Namibia, to name a few.

Well-formed topaz can reach more than one metre high and wide, while topaz of a lesser quality or less pleasing appearance can get as large as 10 metres. In fact, the largest faceted gemstone in the world is a brownish-yellow topaz called the El-Dorado. Weighing about 31,000 carats (13.67 lbs), it was discovered in 1984 in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Pre-cut, it weighed around 81.57 lbs.

Types of topaz

Topaz appears in more forms than just the usual pale blue. Some stones are colourless, while others range in shades of brown, orange, light green, yellow, pink, violet pink, and red. Certain shades of red or pink, due to their rarity, are expensive and often sought after by collectors. With such variety, it’s important to be clear about exact types or colours when speaking with suppliers or clients.

Some trade names and varieties of topaz include:

• Swiss blue topaz: The bright, saturated blue topaz seen most frequently. It is an irradiated colour.
• Sky blue topaz: Irradiated pale blue, can often be confused with aquamarine. It is also the most likely colour of natural non-irradiated blue topaz that can be found.
• London blue topaz: Irradiated dark greyish blue
• Imperial topaz: An orange-pinkish colour. Although yellow and brown stones are often sold as imperial topaz, they do not truly belong to the category. This variety of topaz is one of the most expensive.
• Mystic topaz: Usually a colourless topaz treated with surface coating. It can be found in shades of reds, orange, pink, blue, or even an iridescent black colour, among others.

Remember to be careful when making the distinction between topaz, there are many inauthentic topaz on the market! Selling the wrong gemstones can have unfortunate consequences on a business based on mutual trust. Some popular false topaz names include:

• Smoky topaz: This is in fact a smoky quartz, there are no smoky topaz.
• Golden topaz and Madeira topaz: These are citrine gemstones and Madeira citrines (dark, orange citrines).
• Topazolite: This is yellow andradite garnet.

What’s in a name?

There was a time when all yellow, brown, and green stones were called topaz. No distinction had been made because the necessary tools to do so did not exist. Yet, despite the name’s historical prevalence, its origin remains a mystery. There are two main theories on how the gemstone got its name:

1) That “topaz” is derived from the Greek word Topazion.Mined for millennia on the snake-infested island of Zabargad, Topazion was a popular gemstone in Greece. Although it was later found that Topazion was in fact olivine (peridot), the stone was referred to as “topaz” until the Middle Ages.

2) That “topaz” originates from the Sanskrit word Tapas, meaning “heat” or “fire.” Although a little less adventurous, a poetic beginning no less.

The imperial topaz also has some wild tales attached to the origin of its name. Two particularly exciting stories are:
1) The stone was named as such because it was a favourite of the Russian royal family, who wanted to keep gemstones of the finest quality and colour to themselves. At the time, a mine in Russia’s Ural Mountains produced a considerable quantity of topaz.

2) That the name is linked to an event in 1881, when the Brazilian emperor Pedro II was gifted a reddish topaz upon his visit to the small town of Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto was located close to one of the most productive mines in the country.

Treating topaz

It is widely known in the gem trade business that topaz is, more often than not, treated.

Be it coating, irradiation, or heating, topaz is one of the easiest and least expensive gemstones to treat in order to ensure that it pleases the eyes of the consumer.

The main treatment for topaz is irradiation. Irradiation is stable and accepted in the trade, it is almost a given with blue, green, and pink varieties. In fact, about 98 per cent of the blue topaz you see today are irradiated! Unless the colour of a topaz is bright bubble pink or a Windex blue, it’s difficult to discern if it has been treated with irradiation.

Due to the stone’s general inexpensiveness, you can also find a multitude of coated topaz on the market. Coatings in colours such as pink, blue, green, black, orange are quite common. Even the well-known mystic topaz has a black iridescent coating. When taking care of topaz, it is important to avoid placing them directly under high heat, like in a steam cleaner. High heat can cause internal cracks in the stone. Instead, topaz can be cleaned with warm water, soap, and a toothbrush. It is also advised to not stress the stone too much in the ultrasonic. For coated topaz, as the coating only covers the surface of the stone, any kind of heating or chemical may cause irreparable damage. While natural coloured topaz are generally stable, brown and yellow topaz could lose a bit of colour or fade under constant sunlight.

A gem for every occasion

In 1912, topaz was added to the official birthstone list of the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA). Along with citrine, topaz is the birthstone for those born during the month of November. The blue variety of topaz also marks a celebration of fourth wedding anniversaries. The imperial topaz, however, is reserved for those who achieve 23 years of married life.

The next time you look at the blue sky, will you spare a thought for this ancient gem?

Resources

• GIA/edu
• Lithographie, LCC n.14 : Topaz- perfect cleavage
• Mindat.org
• Guide des pierres precieuses by Walter Schumann

Lauriane Lognay is a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA), has an Applied Jewelry Professional (AJP) certificate from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), studied gemmology in Montréal, and has won several awards. She is a gemstone dealer working with jewellers to help them decide on the best stones for their designs. Lognay is the owner of Rippana Inc., a Montréal-based company working in coloured gemstone, lapidary, and jewellery services. She can be reached at rippanainfo@gmail.com.