Topaz is said to foster friendship, and pink topaz
symbolizes tenderness and cheerfulness.
Topaz has been used as gemstones since the days of ancient Egypt and Rome. However, it seems that it was not very popular during the Middle Ages, since there are no accounts of it from that era. In latter times, the French gemstone merchant Tavernier, in his travel journal The Six Voyages published in 1678, noted that gems such as ruby, spinel, yellow topaz, sapphire, hyacinth (zircon), and amethyst were mined in Burma (Myanmar), and that among these, topaz was considered an important yellow gemstone. Topaz become popular in Spain and France during the 18th century, and was used in jewelry, surrounded by diamonds. It is also noted that topaz and amethyst were highly popular as the center stones in earrings and necklaces in France and England during the early 19th century.
In addition to yellow, topaz may be colorless, light blue, green, or pink; red topaz is rarely mined. Pink and red colors are caused by the presence of chromium, while other colors result from other elements or natural radiation. The Mohs hardness of topaz is a relatively hard 8, allowing polished surfaces to be smooth and lustrous; on the other hand, it cleaves very easily, making polishing difficult.
Pink topaz, also called rose topaz, is an extremely attractive gemstone. It closely resembles a beautiful pink diamond or the bright, light-colored rubies from Sri Lanka. However, pink diamonds are extremely expensive, and pink rubies (light-colored rubies) from Sri Lanka are often cut in uneven sizes, making many of them difficult to use in jewelry. Because of this, it may be said that pink topaz surpasses these two gems in terms of both affordability and quality.
Ring, Platinum
Pink Topaz 1pc
3.59 ct
Heated
Diamond 8 pc
0.83 ct
US $12,000
Name of mineral : Topaz
Mohs hardness : 8
Refractive index : 1.619~1.627
Specific gravity : 3.53
Weight: 9.09 ct
Size (mm) : L 15.6 x W 10.3 x D 6.43
Heated
Gem Quality
US $14,000
VARIETIES AND CHARACTERISTICS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
The state of Minas Gerais in Brazil is the world’s largest producer of topaz. Colorless, light blue, yellow, and sherry (orange yellow) topaz is mined there, and occasionally large crystals weighting more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) are found. Besides Brazil, topaz is also mined in the Ural region of Russia and in Pakistan. Although similar in color to aquamarine, most blue topaz currently in the marketplace owes its hue to artificial irradiation treatment rather than nature, and does not have value as a gemstone.
Yellow Topaz
In contrast to sherry-colored material, lemon-colored topaz is called yellow topaz. In the case of Topaz, it appears that such lemon-yellow colors are less popular than sherry colors. This is in contrast to yellow sapphire, where bright yellow stones are more popular than orangey yellow ones. These lemon- colored topazes vary in tone, and light-colored material lacks rarity and is low in value. Yellow quartz is sometimes called “citrine topaz,” but this is a misnomer.
Imperial Topaz
Sherry-colored topaz is called “imperial topaz.” The main source of imperial topaz is the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Though not covered here, this imperial topaz is the S beauty grade material in the quality scale for yellowish topaz. Sherry colors also vary in tone, and a darker stone with no brownish color is considered the best.
Pink Topaz
Pink topaz can be naturally colored material from Pakistan or orange-colored material from Brazil that has been heated. The material from Pakistan is characteristically slightly violetish. The darker the orange of the Brazilian material, the stronger its reaction to heat treatment, and the more beautiful the resulting pink color will be. Because the presence of impurities in the stone determines its reaction to various treatments, heat treatment in this case is accepted as man completing what nature has left unfinished. The pink topaz in the photograph is a Brazilian stone that has been heat-treated.
JUDGING QUALITY
I like pink diamond, pink topaz is more of a light reddish-purple than red. If a pink diamond possessed the color of a gem-quality pink topaz, it would be an exceptionally beautiful stone of the most rare kind, easily costing more than $100,000 per carat. The pink corundum of Sri Lanka also resembles pink topaz. Gem-quality pink topaz has a somewhat dark tone with no brownish hue.
Topaz is highly saturated, with strong brilliance, and even small stones will sparkle beautifully. Some very rare stones have an especially beautiful pink color that is closer to red, and may weight up to several carats. Such stones are far more attractive even than gem-quality pink diamonds, and are priced individually, like fine works of art.
QUALITY SCALE
PINK TOPAZES
Heated
HOW TO CHOOSE
Pink topaz may be the least known of the 24 gemstones presented in this book. Compared to yellowish stones, which are not especially popular in general, the potential diamond for pink stones, regardless of type, appears to be high. A ring displaying a 3-carat gem-quality pink topaz surrounded by diamonds has exquisite beauty. A jewelry-quality stone of 1 carat can also be enjoyed as one of a limited number of pink gemstones.
The value of a one-carat-size pink topaz of jewelry quality is approximately US $300 for the stone alone (2004).
The 3 quality zones as they appear in the quality scale
Quantity distribution of gems that are polished to 1-carat size
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