Short History of Blue Topaz (Decembers Birthstone)

A Short History of Blue Topaz

The name topaz comes from Topazios, an old Greek name for a small island in the Red Sea, now called Zabargad. This island has never produced topaz, but it was once a source of Peridot, which was confused with topaz before the development of modern mineralogy. Topaz is from the mineral family of Silicates. Blue Topaz stones are rarely found in the crust of the earth and are usually synthetically produced. The naturally occurring Blue Topazes are pale or light blue in color. Ordinary, colorless, pale yellow and blue colored Topazes are treated by the methods of heat treatment or irradiation to produce dark Blue Topazes. Topaz has a vast color range from Blue, Red, Yellow, Pink and Violet. The most valuable colored topaz is Pink to Reddish-orange. Deposits of Topaz have been found in various locations all over the world such as Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, India, UK, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength. In Europe during the Renaissance people thought that topaz could break magic spells and dispel anger. For centuries, many people in India have believed that topaz worn above the heart assures long life, beauty, and intelligence.

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