Magazine / Precious stones / Topaz
Magazine / Precious stones / Topaz
The sun is from ever an important presence for the humanity.
The topazes, warm and transparent, have been associated with the sun by several cultures of the world.
For the Egiptians the topaz was coloured by Ra, the god of sun, becoming an amulet which defended from dangers.
The Romans, also, connected the topazes with the god of sun Jupiter.
For the Grecians this gem presented strength and invisibility in case of emergency. Besides one said that it changed colour in presence of poisoned beverages and food, and cured insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages. One thought that its powers were connected to the phases of the moon.
The topaz is to weared only if one desires to be clearely noted; the legend says also that it frees from the enchantments and helps to improve the sight!
The topaz stones manifest golden-ambered tones, other times the peach tones, and arrive to present the warmth of the shades from brown to orange. Exceptionally they appear between clear rose and cherry red.
In general, it is a matter of a transparent stone.
We find also colourless topazes, and azure-green too: these are an introduction of the last times, obtained by enrichment. They vary from pale blue to medium blue. In 1998 one has obtained the last enriched surface topaz: from blue to greenish blue to emerald green.
The topaz is one of the most ancient among the precious stones. It acquires the name from the Isle of Topazos, of the Black Sea: there the ancient confused a place's typical olivine with the topaz.
A stone of elevated hardness, with some points of fragility.
A symbol for the path of the mankind over the Earth.
The topaz is an aluminium silicate. Gigantic topaz crystals exist: one of 300 kg is exposed in New York, and one of 150 kg in Florence.
Liquid inclusions are present frequently in this stone.
If we warm the yellow topaz it becomes red: it is called "burned topaz".
The topazes hardness is elevated: 8 in the Mohs scale. In the same way of the diamonds they can however splinter; they are to be weared with a certain attention, protecting them from the strong collisions.
Besides the colour turns pale at the sun light; often the topaz are treated to reply to this characteristic.
The value of a topaz depends from hardness, transparency, colours aesthetical effect and purity.
The prices are never however too elevated, because of the relative abundance.
In addition to the jewelry we use topazes in precision optics also. Besides they are utilized in powder for the polishing operations.
Important production zones are Brazil and Sri Lanka for all the topazes varieties blue included, and Russia for the pink topazes.
An ancient Afghan legend describes the topaz as presented to the humanity so that it understood that the sun can be found under the earth too, if one searches it. Each person when finds itself in difficulty rather than despair can search the sun which is always near it.
