
Put on your topaz jewelry only after applying your makeup or styling your hair.To care for and clean topaz jewelry the right way, considering the following. Keep away from abrasive cleaners or buffing wheels as these cleaners might remove the color coating.If possible, only use topaz in protective mountings like pendants.Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight or heat to prevent color from fading.It’s not tough because of its basal cleavage, which makes it prone to breakage. With only a score of 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, topaz requires extra care and attention to keep it looking beautiful. Perhaps because of its color, blue topaz is also known to symbolize calmness and peacefulness, and it’s also ideal for spiritual attunement.īlue Topaz, such as the London blue topaz, is a birthstone for December.

Symbolismīlue topaz echoes the energy of knowledge and wisdom hence, stone believers commonly associate it with clarity of feelings, honesty, self-confidence, and the ability to learn complex ideas. Ostro is 15 centimeters long and 10.5 centimeters wide with a total weight of 9,381 carats. British Explorer Max Ostro discovered the rough material in 1960, from which the Ostro was cut from. The Ostro is the largest blue topaz displayed in the UK’s Natural History Museum’s Minerals Gallery. Brazil remains to be the largest producer of topaz in the world. Germany’s Erzgiberge Mountains were the first known source of yellow to brown topaz until a large topaz deposit came about in the 1730s in Brazil. They also associate it with the Egyptian island of Topazios, although the island never produced topaz but rather olivine-often confused with topaz-and peridot. The name ‘topaz’ relates to the Sanskrit word ‘tapas,’ meaning fire. Additionally, gemstones that are treated this way are radioactive thus, they are stored for months until the radioactivity reduces to a safe level. For instance, in the USA, companies that treat gemstones with radiation must be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Many people have raised concerns about the safety of blue topaz due to radiation however, there are strict rules in place for consumer protection. Other stones require further heat treatment to lighten the inky color. Upon exposure to fast neutrons, the radiation changes the color centers of the stone, which produces a deep blue color. To achieve the color, they expose topaz to radiation in a nuclear reactor. As such, most blue topaz in the market today are treated with radiation. Compared to the Swiss blue topaz, London blue is more valuable and a market favorite.Īpparently, natural blue topaz is rare as natural topaz is mainly colorless. What is London Blue Topaz?Ĭoming from the exceptionally wide variety of Topaz colors, London blue topaz is a dark blue topaz with medium to dark tone and saturation. Follow along and pick up facts, history, and more as you read on. Topaz of this clarity is available affordably ( under $100- depending on other factors.In this gemstone series, we’ll talk about topaz, specifically London blue topaz.


There are no visible inclusions or haziness. Perfect Clarity: This topaz has perfect clarity. However, the clarity is still not perfect: we can see small specs of inclusions in the insed of the stone. Good Clarity: This topaz is clear enough to be faceted. The haziness inside this stone prevents it from sparkling as much as a clearer stone. Poor Clarity: The topaz in this ring is cut en cabochon – a cut only used for topaz with poor clarity. Since very clear peices of topaz are so available, there is no reason to buy peices of such poor clarity. (For this reason, they were made into beads rather than being faceted). Terrible Clarity: These topaz beads are so heavily included, they are almost opaque. These topazes are usually cut en cabochon or made into beads. Topaz with less-than-perfect clarity tends to look milky or slightly opaque. Fortunately, topaz of such clarity is relatively easy to find. The Best topaz gemstones are perfeclty clear without any inclusions (internal impurities or cracks) whatsoever.
