All About Topaz

Gemstones are a huge craze these days as many women love to wear them and flaunt them. Topaz jewelry is amongst the most favored of gemstones and has grown in demand over recent years. Topaz is a birthstone for two months, yellow topaz is used as a November birthstone while blue topaz is used as a December birthstone. However, it is not simply famous as a birthstone but also as an important jewelry accessory.

The word 'Topaz' comes from the Greek word Topazios, the ancient name of St. John's Island in the Red Sea. This island was considered difficult to find, Pliny stated it was a legendary island in the Red Sea in fact. Some historians believe that the yellow form of topaz was mined their. Certainly little record has been found of any orior mining of topaz.nd from which a yellow stone (now believed to be chrysolite: yellowish olivine) was mined in ancient times; topaz itself (rather than topazios) wasn't really known about before the classical era.

Topaz Technical Specifications
here are some technical specifications about topaz:

Chemical formula: Al2SiO4(F,OH)2
Color: Clear (if no impurities), blue, brown, orange, gray, yellow, green, pink and reddish pink.
Crystal system: orthorhombic
Cleavage: [001] Perfect
Fracture: conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness: 8
Luster: glassy
Streak: white
Diaphaneity: Transparent
Specific gravity: 3.49-3.57

Topaz Colors
The most popular color of Topaz is a brown or yellow color and jewelry made out of it has a dazzling exuberance to it. However, Topaz is also available in colors of blue, pink, turquoise, peach and gold. Due to its excellent spark and durability, Topaz is also known as the "Stone of Strength" and, interestingly, it translates to the word "fire" in the Sanskrit language. This fact shows that in the early days Topaz had a lot of value amongst the people. It is also believed that during the Middle Ages, the Topaz stone had the power to cure people by making their minds stronger and by curing poor vision and even some mental diseases. Today, Topaz jewelery has turned out to be an excellent piece of accessory that many love to wear and flaunt.

Topaz is a hard stone and is listed as 8 in the Mohr scale of hardness, but with a single blow it may come apart and split into two. So one must very careful while handling topaz jewelry and protect it from hard knocks. If you are wearing such jewelry always make sure to take them off carefully and never to drop them. Topaz is believed to have paranormal powers and some people also believe it to be a symbol of friendship. You can always choose topaz jewelry in the form of rings, bracelets, pendants or earrings that would surely augment and add to your beauty. If you want to buy Topaz jewelry then make sure you understand your budget and your needs. Always deal with jewelers who specialize in Topaz or somebody who has an excellent reputation. Check online beforehand to decide on the kind of design, shape and color that you like and then set off to buy yourself a dazzling piece of jewelry.

Check for genuiness
However, before buying any stone make sure that the gemstones have not been treated with dye, heat or radiation. Also inspect the jewelry to find if there are any imperfections or cracks on it. Nobody likes imperfect jewelry and you too should not settle for anything less than perfect. Lastly, always remember that Topaz jewelry has tremendous mystical and historical value. It is cheaper compared to other stones and can be used as wonderful gifts for the special people in your life. This alluring stone is a welcome change from rubies, sapphires and diamonds and can make a lasting impression on someone. It can also garner several compliments if you are buying it for yourself. So get going today and get yourself the perfect set of Topaz jewelry.

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