Where to Buy Topaz

Topaz, the golden gem although mostly yellow, is also found in colors such as blue, pink, red, orange or even colourless. It was once a very valued stone in ancient Rome and Egypt that loved the topaz because to them it resembled the setting sun. The topaz is also a gem found in the Portuguese crown jewels and many other collections the world over. The Yellow topaz is very often mistaken for the cheaper citrine resulting in the citrine being sold as 'golden topaz' or 'smoky topaz' to the unsuspecting public.

In general, topaz is not considered a precious stone unless it's the 'Imperial topaz' which is of a rich orange-gold color and fetches very high prices for a large stones or the extremely rare and valuable pink or red topaz that sells around $3500 per carat weight, that is, if you can find it. The topaz that is normally available in the market is the colourless stone out of which the brown and blue stones are created after being treated with heat and irradiation. Being used mostly in the making of jewelry, these can be bought for about $25 a carat. The price of these cheaper varieties of stones have dropped essentially due to the mass production that takes place with the treated blue, brown and colourless topaz.

Whenever you buy topaz, remember that this golden colored stone looks best under incandescent light. This is because of its natural colors such as yellow, orange or red-orange being able to reflect light better than any other color. The blue topaz however looks better in conditions of natural light or fluorescent lights and therefore you should always examine the topaz in all lighting conditions to see whether you are going to like it in the daytime as well as in the night before you buy topaz. One of the more recent creations of this gemstone is the Mystic topaz which has been synthetically created by coating the real topaz to bring out different flashes of color. The Mystic topaz is currently very popular with those who like it for the rainbow effect it creates, making it possible to be worn with any outfit of any color.

The topaz is usually found in rocks with alluvial deposits in the mountain ranges of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and Pakistan just to name a few. When compared with other stones that fall under the same category, you will find that the topaz is comparatively hard and strong, making it the ideal stone to be cut and polished and made in to jewelry. Same as with most other gemstones, the topaz too is heat treated, coated or irradiated to enhance its color in order to improve its looks to attract customers. If you are wondering where to buy topaz, it's always better to purchase your gemstones from a reputed dealer or visit the many shops online to view the amazing array of topaz available from which you can select and buy topaz according to your preference and budget.

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