Topaz is the chameleon
of gemstones. It is naturally colorless but when iron and chromium
impurities get into it, the resulting topaz come in an array of colors.
These colors include yellow, orange, red-brown,
light blue, pink to red, violet, and light green. This can lead to a
miss identification of topaz as another gemstone. There are
characteristics of topaz that combined differentiate it from other
gemstones. For instance topaz has an orthorhombic structure which as
defined by the Oxford dictionary as – “of or denoting a crystal system
or three-dimensional geometric arrangement having three unequal axis at
right angles. Topaz also has a weak fluorescence and has perfect
cleavage just like a diamond. It also exhibits pleochroism
(shows several colors in a single stone) depending on the angle the
gemstone gets seen from. Lastly topaz is transparent with few
inclusions giving it a brilliant appearance and a glassy luster.
Despite topaz's ability to show many different colors it is not uncommon
for this gemstone to go through enhancement to produce even bolder
color. The most popular topaz sold in the US is dark to deep blue. In
nature blue topaz is usually light blue. To create darker shades of
blue, topaz goes through a radiation process called irradiation. What
happens is radiation passes through something else to reach the topaz for indirect contact with the radiation. After that topaz gets a heat
treatment to produce striking shades of blue. To produce a purple-pink
topaz pieces of orange-brown topaz are heat-treated. Both types of
treatments are widely accepted since they result in a permanent color
change. There is natural pink topaz in existence but it is rare, pale
in color, and only found in Pakistan.
Another way topaz can have its color changed is to coat it with titanium dioxide. There are three types: Azotic
topaz: formed by coating undesirable pieces of topaz to produce a
rainbow of color; topaz can also be coated to appear pink; and to turn
topaz, green, clear topaz goes through diffusion treatment to turn it
green. These treatments are not permanent and will fade to show the true
color of the topaz piece.
All gemstones
including topaz can safely be cleaned with warn soapy water with or
without using a tooth-brush. After cleaning the gemstone wipe it with a
soft cloth. Avoid contact of any type of gemstone with household
cleaning chemicals and protect them from extreme heat to prevent
permanent damage to the gemstone.
Always store
gemstone jewelry inside a fabric lined box or wrap it in a soft cloth
then store it separately from other gemstones.
Cliptomania.com has only one pair of earrings featuring real topaz that is violet in color with 14K Gold Vermeil
hammered tops paired with a rough cut ruby ring and a bracelet with
rough cut ruby, citrine, and garnet gemstones. The hints of pink in the
violet mystic topaz and the pink hints in ruby go very well together
even though they are different gemstones.
References: gemselect.com , minerals.net, and gemsociety.org
