Topaz is a hard, glassy gem, naturally pale or colorless. Most deep blue topaz has been irradiated and heated, so the color is made, though stable.
Nesosilicate
Topaz
Topacio
- Palette
- Clear Blue Yellow Orange
- Mined in
- Brazil, Russia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mexico, United States, India, Australia
- Hardness
- Mohs 8.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Topazos, an island in the Red Sea
- Also sold as
- imperial topaz (golden-pink), blue topaz (usually irradiated)
- Intention
- Abundance Strength
- Looking for
- Prosperity Communication Confidence and self-worth Joy
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Blue topaz is irradiated and heated colorless topaz; most blue topaz on the market is made this way. Some topaz is coated for a rainbow surface.
Not in our pieces now
172 FACETS
Leon Agee spent two years cutting the American Golden Topaz, giving it 172 facets, from an 11.8-kilogram stream-rounded cobble found in Brazil.
TEXAS
Blue topaz is the state gemstone of Texas, while Utah's state gem is orange topaz.
HUNDREDS OF POUNDS
Clear topaz crystals from Brazil's pegmatites can reach boulder size and weigh hundreds of pounds.
What it is
Topaz is a hard, glassy gem that is naturally colorless or pale and can be golden, orange, pink or blue. It is mostly cut as small faceted stones.
What gives it its color
Pink and red topaz get their color from a trace of chromium, while most blue topaz is colorless or pale topaz that has been irradiated and then heated to fix the blue.
Where it comes from
Brazil is the largest topaz producer, with other sources including Russia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria and the western United States.
In history
In antiquity the name topaz belonged to a yellow stone from Topazos, a fog-bound island in the Red Sea; Pliny the Elder recorded one given to Queen Berenice and used for a statue of Arsinoe four cubits tall, and the stone from that island was in fact peridot. In 19th-century Russia the pink Ural stones were named imperial topaz for the czar, and only the royal family could own them. Famous stones include the 157.75-carat Topaz of Aurangzeb seen by the traveler Tavernier and the 22,892.5-carat American Golden Topaz.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, golden topaz is kept for abundance and self-esteem, and blue topaz for clear speech. People also keep it for joy and forgiveness.
An old account says its name comes from Topazos, an island in the Red Sea. It is a November birthstone, with citrine.
People wear it as any jewelry, keep a golden piece in a wallet or cash box, or keep a blue one in a meditation space.
How people wear or keep it: As any jewelry, in a wallet or cash box, in a meditation space, or on a long chain over the chest.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, topaz is paired with the solar plexus and throat and third eye chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: as any jewelry, in a wallet or cash box, in a meditation space. People reach for it when they want prosperity, communication, confidence and self-worth, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSolar Plexus, Throat, Third Eye
ZodiacSagittarius
BirthstoneNovember
Anniversary4th (blue topaz); 23rd (imperial topaz)
Also calledimperial topaz (golden-pink), blue topaz (usually irradiated)
Care
- Hard at 8, but it has one perfect cleavage and splits if struck, so protect it from knocks.
- Mild soapy water and a soft cloth are fine; avoid ultrasonic cleaners and sudden temperature change.
- Keep golden and blue stones out of long, strong sun, since some colors fade.
- Store apart from other gems so it does not scratch softer stones.
How to tell what you have
- Topaz is hard (8) and heavy; glass is lighter and quartz is lighter than topaz by about a quarter.
- Irradiated and heated blue may have a gray or green undertone; aquamarine, blue cubic zirconia, kyanite and blue agate are look-alikes.
What sets the price
Price follows color, with rare red-orange and pink topaz highest and the common strong blue, which is made by heating and irradiating colorless stones, among the cheapest, plus clarity, cut and size.
Rules and sourcing
Blue topaz is irradiated and heated colorless topaz, and some topaz is coated for a rainbow surface. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose irradiation, heat or coating.
Questions people ask at our table
What is topaz?
Topaz is a hard aluminium silicate gem, 8 on the Mohs scale. In nature it is mostly colorless or pale, with golden, orange, pink or blue stones less common.
Is blue topaz natural?
The deep blue stones on the market are almost always colorless or pale topaz that has been irradiated and heated. Truly natural blue topaz is rare and pale. The color is stable, but it is a made color.
Is topaz the same as citrine?
No. Both are November birthstones and both can be golden, but citrine is a quartz and topaz is a different, harder mineral. Many cheap yellow stones sold as topaz are citrine.
Do you carry topaz?
No. Faceted topaz is a fine-gem stone, not a bead we sell. Citrine, clear quartz and blue apatite give the nearest looks.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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