A deep blue cushion shaped aquamarine tops an irridescent blue Australian South Sea Pearl. View this lovely pendant here by clicking on the image.
Aquamarine, 19th Wedding Anniversary
Tag: November Birthstone
“Precious Topaz” Jewelry
The term “Precious Topaz”, the finest quality of topaz, is often used to distinguish between true Topaz and lookalikes.
Citrine and Yellow Sapphire have been sold as “Gold, Scotch, or Madeira Topaz.”
Brown Topaz does occur naturally but the term “Smoky Topaz” refers to Smoky Quartz.
Blue Topaz can also be natural but most have been heat-treated to produce the specific trademarked Sky Blue, London Blue, Swiss Blue, etc.
Citrine, Alternative November Birthstone
Citrine is an alternative birthstone to topaz.
Shown here is a spectacular pair of square radiant cut citrine with
South Sea golden pearl drops.
We have a nice collection of loose citrine to choose from for a custom order!
Topaz, November Birthstone
Topaz, the birthstone for November, is naturally a transparent gem but it is found in various tones of yellow, gold, orange, red, blue, green, pink, and brown. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, making it a nice jewelry gemstone.
New Earrings From Our Workshop
Most recently created by hand in our workshop, Lenox, MA, in the Berkshires. These earrings feature a matched pair of pink zircon with large pink baroque pearl drops set in 14K red gold. Dramatic and elegant!
Topaz Jewelry
Bright golden topaz trillions top these luscious golden South Sea drop pearls. A stunning combo!
Topaz, November Birthstone
Topaz is the birthstone for November. Most Topaz crystals are colorless, however topaz crystals that are sold in jewelry stores are pink, sherry brown, or yellow, blue, gray, green, reddish pink. It’s hardness is 8 on the Mohs scale. Topaz in its natural state is a golden brown to yellow, a characteristic which means it is sometimes confused with the less valuable gemstone citrine. A variety of impurities and treatments may make topaz wine red, pale gray, reddish-orange, pale green, or pink, and opaque to translucent/transparent.
Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship, and the state gemstone of the Utah.
Imperial topaz is yellow, pink, or pink-orange. Brazilian imperial topaz can often have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown topazes are treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink, or violet colored.
Blue topaz is the state gemstone of the Texas. Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite rare. Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue.
Imperial Topaz
Come in and see our collection of loose topaz gemstones. We have a variety of colors on display.
Pin/Pendant with Blue Topaz, 18KY & W
This pin/pendant was inspired by a swimming hole in the Berkshires. Blue topaz is set into a highly polished 18K white gold concave background to achieve the look of water. The “rocks” are created in 18K yellow and white gold, enhanced by aline graved texture. The necklace is made of crystal and blue topaz beads with bezel set Chrome Tourmalines and “S” hooks to attach to the piece or to each other in order to wear alone. Designed and created by Laurie Donovan.
Topaz, November Birthstone
Topaz is November’s birthstone. It’s also an ideal gemstone for custom-designed jewelry given its brilliantly diverse colors and its hardness.
The name topaz comes from the Sanskrit word “tapaz”, meaning “heat” or “fire”. In ancient times, the Greeks believed that those who wore topaz possessed strength and invisibility. The Romans believed it improved eyesight. The Egyptians believed it protected against injury. During the Middle Ages, topaz was believed to be a healer of both physical and mental sicknesses and even able to prevent death.
In its natural state, topaz is golden brown to yellow. A variety of impurities and treatments may make topaz wine red, pale grey, reddish-orange, pale green or pink (rare) and opaque to translucent and even transparent.
The most sought after and consequently more valuable natural topaz is Imperial Topaz, alson known as “precious topaz”. The color of the setting sun (pink or pink-orange), the name arose with the Russian tsars of the 17th century who claimed their right to all the pink topaz mined in the Urals. The czars might take exception to the fact that today it’s the gemstone of Utah. They would also have to share mining locations with Brazil, one of the world’s largest producers of topaz.
Topaz is also the gemstone of another state, Texas, where it is found in the Precambrian granite of Macon County. For Texas, it’s blue topaz. Naturally occurring blue topaz is considered rare. Typically, to achieve blue, colorless, grey or pale yellow topaz is heat-treated.
Another topaz you might have heard of is Mystic Topaz. It is a colorless topaz artificially coated using a vapor deposition process to render a rainbow effect.
Topaz is 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. Given its relatively low index of refraction, do not expect large-faceted topaz to sparkle as readily as a diamond. Do expect it to be durable and lasting.