Blue Topaz

Topaz comes in a beautiful array of colors, with yellow and blue topaz as the most familiar, and red the most rare. Combine this with it's durability and low cost, and you have an excellent stone for handmade jewelry.

Care: Topaz is susceptible to splitting, so protect it from hard knocks. Also avoid large temperature changes, like leaving it next to a heater. Do not clean topaz in a home ultrasonic cleaner. Warm, soapy water is best.

Description: Topaz is a very hard stone. Yellow is the most familiar color, red the most rare. Nearly all blue topaz on the market today is enhanced by radiation applied to colorless topaz.

History: The name topaz was once used for any yellow stone, and until the 18th century, was used for what’s now known as peridot. The origin of the word "topaz" may have come from the Island of Topazos, in the Red Sea.

Sources: Topaz is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Germany, Russia, Burma, Nigeria, Japan & the U.S.A.

Interesting tidbit: In the Portuguese crown is an enormous 1,680 carat gemstone, once thought to be a diamond...As it turns out, this "diamond" is none other than a clear topaz.

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