TOPAZ, NOVEMBER’S PRECIOUS GEMSTONE
Topaz, along with citrine, is November’s birthstone and is considered one of the most mysterious and beloved gems in the world.
Topaz has always been considered one of the most mysterious and beloved gems in the world; the Greeks believed it gave strength to those who wore it.
Europeans believed it could dissolve anger and break evil spells, while in India it was believed to ensure a long life if worn at heart level and to bestow beauty and intelligence.
Custom-made ring with topaz and diamonds.
Contrariè ring with peridot and diamonds.
Since ancient times it has been so coveted and desired that it is deliberately confused with other less precious stones.
When the stone has a blue hue, it is often mistaken for apatite; other times when it tends toward yellow or cognac color, it is treated as smoky quartz or citrine quartz; and still other times when it takes on a green coloration, it is confused with peridot.
Conversely, it also happens that topaz itself is sold as a precious colored diamond or mistaken for a sapphire.
The origin of the name “topaz” would derive from a small island in the Red Sea, Topazos, where the ancient Romans extracted some stones called precisely Topazos.
Years later it was discovered that these were not topazes, but rather peridots; so much so that the island today has changed its name and is called Zabargad, which in Arabic means precisely peridot.
According to other sources, however, the name topaz would have Sanskrit origins and would mean “fire”.
However, for some the misunderstanding is not entirely resolved and the mystery about the origin of topaz continues.
From a geological point of view, it is a mineral, aluminum and fluorine silicate found in crystallized form as a prism that ends with pyramidal faces. It can often be found with traces of chromium, manganese or iron, and these are precisely the elements that give topaz its different colors, which can be red, pink, blue-green, azure (natural), pink-orange, yellow-brown, yellow-orange (Cognac), yellow and colorless.
When topaz is untreated, color variations can be seen within the stone. For this reason, natural topazes are often treated through heating to make the crystal’s color uniform.
Brown, yellow and orange topazes are found in Sri Lanka, while pink topazes are more often found in Pakistan and Russia. In Brazil, in the Minas Gerais region, there is a small town called Ouro Preto where the world’s most prolific topaz quarry is located, and here, for over 2 centuries, orange and violet, red and pink topazes of rare beauty have been extracted.
Ring with citrine quartz and diamonds from the Masterpieces collection by DAVERIO1933