November
Birthstone ~ Topaz~
Technically there are two birthstones for
the month of November, Topaz and Citrine…I’ve decided to focus on the Topaz. It is a fascinating stone; some of the
information may surprise you…I know it did me!
- topaz comes from Sanskrit work “fire”
- rare, therefore expensive.
- in ancient lore was said to be used to cool heat…such as cooling boiling water, cool anger, as well as used to cure a fever
- pure topaz is colorless, can be mistaken for diamonds if well cut…colors are due to minor elements found in the crystals, some colors can fade away, while some are heated to produce more intense color.
- Yellow Topaz is the modern
November birthstone, often confused with Citrine.
Orthorhombic Topaz Crystal from the
Thomas Range in Juab Co, Utah
- high shine, multi colored, multifaceted crystals
- comes in a rainbow of colors…yellow, pink, purple, green, orange, brown, colorless, black and many gorgeous blue tones. Green and blue are often very light in color so are treated to enhance the color.
- the most prized color is orange with pinkish undertones, called Imperial Topaz.
- it is the gem for the 4th, 19th and 23rd wedding anniversaries.
- the Blue Topaz gems range in color from Sky Blue, Swiss Blue and London Blue, with the Sky blue being the lightest and London Blue the darkest color.
- largest producer of topaz is Brazil, but can be found in Africa, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia Scotland, Japan, Colorado and California and Australia
- topaz is one of the hardest silicate mineral in nature.
- crystal size ranges from very small nuggets to dramatically large stones, such as the one found in the American Museum of Natural History in New York it is the home to the largest uncut topaz, found in Brazil…600 pounds.
I’ve only had the pleasure of working with
blue topaz, even then rarely as I don’t find it is a color that appeals to many
people. I wasn’t aware of the rainbow of
colors topaz is available in; I would like to see some of the more unique
colors such as black, green and purple…at least unique to me. Check out the gorgeous colours below...purple is a favorite color
of mine…
Smithsonian 8-10-09-210…Topaz.
As always, for any questions or
comments, send me an email or leave a comment on my blog.
Have a great week…
Cheers
Photo Source: A special thank you to “Orbital Joe”…for
graciously allowing me to use his stunning photos …as always it is greatly appreciated! You can see more of Joe’s gem photos here…Flickr
Information Source
