TOPAZ

While most might associate Topaz with a pale blue stone, Topaz actually comes in a plethora of hues and from a variety of sources around the world, with the most prevalent of these being Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Pakistan and the United States. Most natural Topaz is either clear and colourless or yellowy brown, but the extremely rare, intense reddish-orange hued stone known as ‘Imperial Topaz’ is natural and not normally treated. Besides this exception, coloured Topaz in yellow, orange, pink, red and the more common blue are usually attained by heat treatments and/or a form of radiation treatment. These treatments are stable and safe.

Topaz is a great stone choice for everyday jewellery selection as it is normally available in large sizes, with stones of good clarity, a hardness rating of 8 and good toughness.