International Jewels : Topaz

What is a Topaz?
A Topaz is the birthstone for the months of November (yellow topaz) and December (blue topaz); a Topaz is also the anniversary gemstone for the 4th, 19th or 23rd year of marriage. The Topaz is a common gemstone that has been used for years in jewerly. It comes in an array of colors from golden brown to the bright blues. Over the years many people have confused the yellow topez with a less valuable stone called the citrine or the blue topaz with an aquamarine, which is hardly natural as it is produced by exposing these crystles to radiation and heating them. Topez is associated with more acidic rocks of the granite and rhyolite type and may be found with fluorite (mineral composed of calcium fluoride) and cassiterite (tin oxide mineral).

On the Mohs scale the topaz is a very hard gemstone scaling at an 8, however in a single blow can spilt the stone in two. A fine precious topaz is usually cut in an emerald or scissors cut, which tend to show it's stong pleochroismic color. A pure topaz is transparent but is usually tinted by impurities, thus coming in a varity of colores such as white, gray blue, pink, reddish-yellow and green.

The name is a derived from the name of an Greek island in the Red Sea, now Zebirget, formerly Topazos. The Red and pink topaz gems were used in the jewelry of the 18th and 19th Century Russian Czarinas and is why topaz is sometimes called Imperial Topaz. These Imperial topaz are the most expensive and are the rarest of all topazs.

Topaz are easy to come by with its very affordable price, it offers an inexpensive alternative to the Diamond or white Sapphire. Sky Blue Topaz, with its light to medium sky blue coloring, has proven to be an excellent substitute for the more expensive Aquamarine. London Blue Topaz is the darkest of the blue Topazes and makes an excellent substitute for the more costly blue Sapphire. Super Blue Topaz is a trade name referring to an intense vibrant blue Topaz. It is also known as Swiss Blue and Max Blue.

When choosing a high quality topaz, deal with a reputable jeweler who is familiar with Topaz or any other gemstone in general. When selecting your stone ask if the topaz has been treated to alter the color or clarity. Four of the common treatments of stones are dyeing, coating, irradiation and heat treatment. As mentioned before this will not diminish the value of the stone. Be sure that when looking at the stone that it is deep in color and that it does not change color pigments in the light. Also when you are looking at the stone that you don't see any scratches or inclusions that are visible to the eye.

Once you have looked at the stone carefully, take a moment to pay attention to the cut of the stone. Although sapphires come in a array of styles and shapes, you want to make sure that the light reflects properly off of the stone when looking at it from different angles. You can even go one step further and choose several different styles and shapes, place them along side of one another to do a quick comparison. After you have taken these steps you can then choose your sapphire with piece of mind.

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