Topaz

Topaz is found in a variety of colours. Yellow topaz is one of the "official" birthstones for November and blue topaz is allocated to December. Popular topaz jewelry you can buy includes rings, earrings and pendants.

Colours

The "base" colour for topaz is transparent, however various impurities produce the range of different shades. As well as blue and yellow these include white, pink and green and there are numerous varieties available to buy. Blue quartz is rare in nature, most of the stones you can buy begin in transparent form and are then irradiated and heat treated to change and set the colour.

Topaz is a relatively hard gem, however it can crack easily if not handled with care.

Mystic Topaz

The variety of topaz known as "mystic" has become a popular in the last few years. This has a suberb multi-coloured rainbow effect that makes it an interesting buying choice for those looking for something a bit different.

What Is Mystic Topaz?

Mystic topaz doesn't occur naturally. Instead it begins as a clear variety of the stone to which a special coating is then added to give the rainbow effect. This process is protected by patent, meaning that it tends to be more expensive to buy than other varieties.

Symbolism and Lore

The name topaz was used by Pliny the Elder in ancient times, deriving from the name of an island from which yellow topaz was believed to originate. Topazos is the Greek for "to seek" and the island of Topazos was said to be difficult to locate. It's likely that Pliny was in fact referring to a different stone.

During the middle ages the name topazios was frequently used to refer to any yellow stone and this can be a cause of confusion.

Properties

Most of the traditional lore surrounding topaz relates to the yellow variety. Yellow topaz was thought to be a stone of the sun due to its fiery colour and was often considered a royal stone. It is said to promote clear sight and understanding, both of oneself and of the wider world. It was also said to be a protective stone, activating the life force and assisting with various nervous complaints.

Other forms of topaz were often considered to be the stone of Jupiter. They also were connected with powers of self-realization and the ability to shape one's life as desired. Wisdom and fulfilment are key concepts associated with topaz - in the modern parlance I would describe it as as a stone of "self-actualisation".

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