In Antiquity all yellow and brown gemstones were called “topaz”. The name is probably derived from the name of the island in the Red Sea (where it was first found) Topazos, now called Zebirget. In common with all other gemstones, Topaz has several mystical powers associated with it: the Ancient Greeks believed that it was the guardian against all calamity because they associated its colour with the sun – itself a giver of life.
In the Middle Ages, Topaz was credited variously with preserving one from sensuality, calming anger and frenzy, strengthening the
intellect, brightening wit, giving joy and driving away broodings and apprehensions.
There are many other powers associated with it – including correcting sexual disorders, calming passions and giving a glimpse of the world beyond! All the abilities of Topaz are believed to increase and decrease according to the phases of the Moon, with stronger powers near the full moon.
Originally only yellow and brown stones were referred to as Topaz, but with modern gemmological testing we can identify other members
of the Topaz family and separate other yellow and brown gemstones from Topaz. Citrine (a yellow/brown variety of Quartz) which has been casually referred to as “Golden Topaz” is frequently mistaken for Topaz.
Topaz may be colourless, blue, green, pink, yellow or deep golden yellow/brown. The most desirable shades are deep golden yellow (sometimes called Sherry Topaz) and natural pink. I say natural pink because most pink stones are in fact yellow, which have been subjected to heat treatment to change the colour to pink. This poses the interesting question: what is the difference between a Topaz that has been subjected to a man induced heat treatment AFTER it was mined, to one that has been naturally subjected to great heat while still in the earth.?
One of the most popular light blue gemstones used in jewellery today is Blue Topaz. This is mostly colourless Topaz, which has been subjected to radiation and then heat-treated. This produces a range of blues from ”London Blue”, which is quite dark, to the commercially popular “aquamarine” light blue. This treatment is safe (these stones are not radioactive!) and permanent. Heat-treated Blue Zircon on the other hand gradually reverts back to its original brown colour on exposure to sunlight.
Topaz is found in Igneous rocks such as pegmatites, granites and volcanic lavas. Brazil is the world’s most important source today.
Topaz is a hard stone (harder than Quartz but not as hard as Sapphire) but it cleaves (splits) easily, so care has to be taken when setting the stone in jewellery.
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