What is topaz

Traditions hold that topaz bestowed many benefits upon its wearer. It would dispel cowardice, calm the temper, cure madness and plague, and sharpen the wit. It was also thought to aid in sleep and eliminate nightmares, as well as cure rheumatism and soreness in the joints.

The stone has also been credited with being effective against bleeding and heart disease. It has been said to instantly lose its color to indicate that poison is present, thus protecting its owner.

The stone has also been thought to bring fidelity and friendship if constantly worn without being set aside. It was also believed to be an effective talisman against accident and fire, and to bring increased intuition and long life. To Christians, it has been known as a symbol of uprightness and virtue.

Topaz has been said to be an ideal stone for travelers, protecting them from homesickness and danger. Ancient Romans credited topaz with preventing sickness of the chest and abdominal pain.

Set in gold and worn around the neck, topaz is reputed to dispel bad omens, heal poor vision and calm anger. It is based on centuries of folklore, most of which camethe birthstones of your loved ones, or your favorite combination of colors about before the age of modern medicine.

It is not meant as actual medical information. For advice about any of the illnesses listed, please visit a qualified physician. It has been said to work with the spinal column and help steady and regulate the action of the heart.

It has been used to treat bleeding and works to promote health in the glandular systems of the body. It is highly recommended for those who wish to improve their eyesight. In earlier times, topaz was believed to be able to actually absorb the heat of a fever.

Topaz has also long been believed to ease the inflammations, discomfort and pain associated with arthritis. It is used in India to treat tonsillitis, whopping cough, and mumps. Topaz is also useful for treating infections, deafness, goiter, hemorrhage, gout, circulatory problems, and nightmares.

It aids in achieving good digestion, combating anorexia, restoring the sense of taste, stimulating metabolism and more. Furthermore, men are believed to become more viral when wearing topaz. Topaz is particularly good for artists.

It is said to give a person the capacity to see both the larger picture and the minute detail, recognizing how they interrelate. Emotionally, topaz is very useful for treating depression. It helps a person alleviate their fears, and treats psychosomatic illnesses. It balances emotions, helping those who go from one extreme to another.

It is also an excellent stone for those whose lives contain abnormal amounts of stress or tension. Topaz has been praised for its ability to attune one to his higher self. It facilitates living according to your own aspiration and views rather than living your life to please others. In paying attention to your own needs and finding your inner sources of emotional nourishment rather than feeding off a partner, you nurture yourself.

And in living life in an equal partnership you can find that inner fulfillment we are all looking for. This can lead to a more productive life. All in all, topaz has been said to relieve greed, frenzies, insanity, hypocrisy, envy, intrigue, disease, injury, sudden death, sorcery, negative magic, lunacy and all disturbing emotions.

It is said to soothe, heal, re-motivate, and bring the wearer strength, loyalty, beauty, protection, healing, weight loss, joy, generosity, abundance, wisdom, enlightenment, knowledge, good health, virtues of leadership, and love. It is traditionally known as a stone of love and good fortune, bringing successful attainment of goals. It is said to be especially effective when set in gold and bound to the left arm.

Placed in the home, topaz protects against fire and accidents. When put under the pillow, it fends off nightmares and ends sleep walking. Overall, topaz has been known to transmute negative energy into positive energy. In particular, topaz has been said to be extremely helpful to those who are angry.

It helps one learn his true and real feelings and honor them, letting go of anger and resentment. Topaz also aids verbalization and is excellent for meditation and living according to your own aspirations and views. It helps you recognize truth and wisdom and where exactly you have strayed from your own truth. It is a great choice for the time when we want to understand our entire life, when we want to know why what seemed to be our greatest wish, our strongest desire, was not fulfilled.

It allows us to clearly see what we have accomplished, and the goals we still have left to accomplish. It is the largest faceted stone in the world. Topaz can be a raw material for making refractory materials. These materials retain their strength at high temperatures, so can be used in furnaces, kilns, incinerators, and reactors. They are also used to make moulds for casting glass and metals. The steelmaking industry uses most of the refractory materials produced. Topaz can also be used as a raw material in the production of fluorine compounds, and in ceramic and glass manufacture.

The name topaz has been used for any yellowish gemstones for at least two thousand years. Gem traders did not know that these yellowish stones were actually different minerals until about two hundred years ago. Gem traders recognised that quartz, beryl, corundum and olivine all had yellow variants and were not true topaz and that topaz could be other colours not just yellow. In addition, the island Topazios, after which the gemstone has been named, never produced topaz, but was a source of peridot, or olivine often confused as topaz.

The island is now called Zabargad Island. Ancient Egyptians believed that yellow topaz received its golden colour from the Sun God, Ra. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength and topaz is mentioned in the modern translation of the bible, although the word probably referred to a yellow stone, not necessarily true topaz. During the middle ages, the main source of topaz was from a deposit in the Erzgebirge Mountains in Germany.

Hundreds of kilograms of yellow to brown topaz crystals were mined from the deposit. Then in the s, a large topaz deposit was discovered in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. During this period, Brazil was a colony of Portugal, so in , the Portugese Government officially recognised the deposit as an important commercial mine, and most of the gems were transported back to Europe. Brazil remains the largest producer of Topaz in the world. Gem quality topaz was first found in Australia as a by-product of metal mining operations.

In , tin was discovered in the New England area of New South Wales and mining commenced shortly afterwards. When the miners concentrated the alluvial material, sometimes they found pebbles of topaz. Waterworn topaz was found associated with gold, tin and wolfram deposits throughout eastern Australia.

Topaz contains the element fluorine, which only occurs in high concentration in a few geologic environments. Topaz usually forms along fractures and in cavities of igneous rocks like rhyolite, granite or pegmatite. The crystals grow in the late stages of a magma cooling, when there is enough fluorine to enable the formation of topaz. Some topaz crystals grow after hot fluids hydrothermal solutions , rich in fluorine, flow through cracks in rocks that have already cooled.

Topaz can also form in metamorphic zones. In Australia, topaz is found in stream gravels placer deposits derived from granites. Typically it is found as rounded or angular lumps but it also is found in coarse-grained granites, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Most of the gemstone production here is still carried out by artisanal miners.

The Brazilian government applies restrictions on mechanised mining to protect indigenous tribes and the environment.

Topaz is the birthstone for November and the gem for 16th wedding anniversaries. Blue topaz has a beautiful glacier-blue colour, which makes it an ideal winter birthday gift. At 8, carats and expertly cut into an oval shape, it is breathtakingly pure and transparent. Because blue topaz comes in big crystals, it is extremely popular in cocktail rings and other large items of jewellery. Blue topaz is often seen at celebrity events and looks particularly striking when worn with matching blue evening wear and accessories.

With blue topaz, clarity is the foremost consideration, followed by vibrancy of colour and a skillful cut. Blue topaz can range from a very light blue to a deeper blue colour.

It can also have a slightly turquoise hue, reminiscent of aquamarine. Consumers should be aware that naturally occurring blue topaz is extremely rare. Therefore the blue variety used in jewellery is almost always obtained by heat treating or irradiation of colourless topaz. Natural topaz is found as crystals that are considerably larger than those of many other precious stones.

Consequently, its per-carat price does not rise much as the size of the gem increases. It is therefore an affordable precious, blue stone that adapts well to larger jewellery. When buying topaz jewellery, always look for a gem with excellent clarity. A topaz that is as pure as possible — with no imperfections that are noticeable to the naked eye — will always have the best sparkle.

Brazilian topaz is known for its large, clear crystals. Topaz is a very versatile gem when it comes to shape. Because it is often found as large crystals, topaz cutters are not too restricted by price and can therefore afford to lose some of the gem.