Hard, heavy and often huge. Clarity, and a colour range wider than its name suggests.
The aesthetic
Topaz forms long prismatic crystals with a distinctive lozenge-shaped end, and it grows large: some of the biggest faceted stones in the world are topaz. Natural colour runs from colourless through the sherry and golden imperial shades to pink and pale blue, though most bright blue topaz on the market is colourless material that has been irradiated and heated. It is very hard but cleaves perfectly in one direction, so it chips where it will not scratch.
The dynamic
Topaz is associated with clarity of intent, confidence and abundance, and imperial topaz in particular has a long history as a stone of favour and good standing.
Some variations
- imperial topaz
- blue topaz
- white topaz
- mystic topaz
- sherry topaz