Buying a Blue Topaz

A wonderfully versatile gemstone, the blue topaz can be made into beautiful pieces of jewelry that will thrill any woman and makes an ideal gift for those born in the month of December. The topaz is actually colorless, but by going through the process of irradiation, it can be transformed into the beautiful blue we admire so much.

Until very recently, the blue topaz was thought to be the stone with the least value. The irradiation treatment however changed that concept and especially in view of the amazing clear blue of the blue topaz, it has now come to be known as one of the most popular stones in today's jewelry market. Being one of the hardest gems, as well, it is the ideal stone for jewelry and is supposed to have the power of fostering forgiveness, clear the mind and aid in meditation to lead a calm and stress free live.

Being modest in value, there is no necessity for any gemologist to resort to the creation of a synthetic topaz and therefore, buying blue topaz is not considered a risk. It only needs color enhancement where the topaz crystals are exposed to electrons to produce the most common blue topaz as well as create the electric blue topaz by bathing it with a type of radiation which is cooled for a lengthy period so as to make it possible to be worn without risk. These treatments makes it possible for the blue topaz to be available in three beautiful shades known as the Sky Blue topaz, Swiss Blue topaz and the London Blue Topaz which has almost the same blue of the sapphire and therefore purchased by many for this very reason.

When buying a blue topaz, you have to first think of the exact color you want and the particular cut you prefer. It is a good idea to examine the topaz under various lights before you purchase the stone because each stone looks different under lights. Since the topaz is originally colorless, it is the heat treatment and the thin layer of titanium that gives the topaz its brilliant colors which look best under incandescent lights. However, it's better to examine your blue topaz under daylight as well to see if there are any inclusions.

Being a very clean gemstone, it is normally sold according to the size while the untreated colorless stone can be bought at a very low price. Due to this particular gem stone not being very expensive, it is available in every jewelry shop and is bought mostly for rings and other pieces of jewelry.

When buying a blue topaz, or any gem for that matter. It is always wise to have the stone examined and appraised by a reputed jeweler you can trust, or a gemologist, in order to make sure that unscrupulous dealers are not trying to palm off quartz or some other valueless stone as a blue topaz. Like any other gemstone, you should take care of your blue topaz by making sure its not exposed to extreme heat which will destroy or change the color of the stone. The only material you should use to clean your blue topaz is mild warm soapy water.

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