People may be usually confused about the Citrine and Topaz, but they are far away from each other. Topaz is so prevalent because of its transparency, hardness, high refractive index, and beautiful color. In the 17th century, the Braganza diamond (1640 carats) on the Portuguese crown was considered the largest diamond, and it has been proven to be a colorless topaz. Today we would like to share the secrets of Blue Topaz.
Overview of Blue Topaz
Topaz is typically wine-colored or pale yellow. Well-cut colorless topaz is the same as diamond, while colored topaz may be less stable or faded by sunlight. Among them, dark yellow is the most precious, and blue is the second. Moreover, the blue is commercially classified into Sky blue, Swiss blue, and London Blue.
Origin
Topaz generally occurs in granite pegmatite, skarn, and alluvial placer deposits. More than 95% of the topaz in the world is produced in the pegmatites of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The varieties are colorless and brightly colored topaz. There was a transparent topaz weighing 300 kilograms which is the largest one in the world. And now it’s in the Museum of Natural History in New York. Sri Lanka is another main source of topaz, mainly producing blue, green, and colorless topaz, while California mostly has yellow and blue topaz.
Imperial topaz. The name of it is to differentiate from yellow topaz. It is one of the most precious and beautiful gemstones in the world. Now Minas Gerais is the only origin of imperial topaz, and it is the proud king of gemstones in Brazil. The color and brightness are comparable to that of diamonds, and you can find all the colors of sunlight in them. Because of its rarity, it is more precious than diamonds.
History
The legend goes that an Egyptian princess was exiled to the tiny island in the Red Sea-Topazs after attempting to assassinate the supreme Pharaoh. Because this island is shrouded in mist all year round, it is hard to find and reach. But the Princess impressed the residents with her kindness and justice. So the elderly island owner believed that she was a messenger from the gods and gifted her a golden stone shining like the sun. And this stone was Topaz.
Topaz and diamonds were set in many royal jewels, which began in France and Spain in the 18th century. In the early 19th century, a new trend of topaz jewelry led the wave in France and England. Many royal families and aristocrats take pride in jewelry with Topaz. By the Victorian era, topaz has reached its peak in popularity.
Care Instructions
You’d better store the blue topaz jewelry separately to avoid rubbing between gems of different hardness. Also, the oil produced by wearing for a long time will make blue topaz lose its luster. Therefore, regular cleaning is vital to the maintenance of blue topaz. It is best to clean it once a month. Then, use a soft toothbrush with pure water to scrub it slightly, so that blue topaz can sparkle as new.
