Geology / History
Topaz is an aluminium silicate fluoride hydroxide commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the Granite & Rhyolite type. Topaz is formed by fluorine bearing vapours given of during the final stages of crystallization in various igneous rocks. It typically crystallizes in granitic pegmatites or in vapour cavities in Rhyolite lava flows & in hydrothermal veins.
Pure Topaz is colourless & transparent but is usually has a tinted colour caused by impurities. More commonly Topaz is wine red, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow. Some clear Topaz crystals from Brazilian pegmatites can reach boulder size & weigh hundreds of pounds.
The rare Imperial Topaz is yellow, pink or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale Topaz undergo treatment to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet coloured.
Naturally occurring blue Topaz is quite rare. Often colourless, gray or pale yellow & blue material is heat treated & irradiated to produce a darker blue.
Mystic topaz is high grade colourless topaz which has been artificially coated with Titanium giving it a beautiful rainbow effect.
The name Topaz is derived from the Greek Τοπάζιος (Τοpáziοs) or Τοπάζιον (Τοpáziοn). Topazios is the ancient name of a legendary island in the Red Sea now known as St John’s Island. Here a yellow stone now believed to be chrysolite a yellowish Olivine was mined in ancient times. Topaz itself was not really known before the classical era but was mined on the same island.
Metaphysical Properties
Blue Topaz bring peace & harmony with a loving embrace. It quiets a chatty mind & stills anxious thoughts. This stone guides one to inner peace through learning about the self & external world. Topaz aids in communication both externally & internally it allows a seamless transition from intuitive thought into vocalisation.
It attunes to the Angels of Truth & wisdom. When meditating with Topaz the higher self-connection is very strong & divine messages become very clear. Blue Topaz supports one on their individual journey & gives strength via perseverance to the process.
Blue Topaz brings you back to your own truth & washes away the pain of the past. It cleans all chakras creating connectivity of all the body’s energy layers. Creative flow & fluidity of thought are the great gifts of Blue Topaz as even the most difficult of tasks become quite easy.
This stone helps us find our way through the channels of life & teaches us that our destinies are our choosing. Bravery is an illusion not needed when knowing is achieved. Blue Topaz gives us a solid knowing that we can & will achieve our greatest potential.
Crystal Healing
Great for anxiety, heart spasms, high blood pressure & lymphatic function. Enhances cellular activity & sensory receptiveness. Reduces muscular aches & arthritic pain.
Mineralogy
Group: Silicate Nesosilicates
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Composition:Al2SiO4F2
Form/Habit:Prismatic crystals with faces striated parallel to long dimension; also columnar, compact, massive
Hardness: 8
Cleavage:[001] Perfect
Fracture: Subconchoidal to uneven
Lustre: Vitreous
Streak: White
Specific Gravity:3.49–3.57
Transparency: Transparent
R.I:nα = 1.606–1.629, nβ = 1.609–1.631, nγ = 1.616–1.638
Colour:Colourless (if no impurities), blue, brown, orange, gray, yellow, green, pink & reddish pink
Birefringence:δ = 0.010
Fluorescence:Short UV=golden yellow; Long UV=cream
Pleochroism:Weak in thick sections X = yellow; Y = yellow, violet, reddish; Z = violet, bluish, yellow, pink
Strunz Classification: 9.AF.35
Dana Classification:52.03.01.01
Topaz is an aluminium silicate fluoride hydroxide commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the Granite & Rhyolite type. Topaz is formed by fluorine bearing vapours given of during the final stages of crystallization in various igneous rocks. It typically crystallizes in granitic pegmatites or in vapour cavities in Rhyolite lava flows & in hydrothermal veins.
Pure Topaz is colourless & transparent but is usually has a tinted colour caused by impurities. More commonly Topaz is wine red, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow. Some clear Topaz crystals from Brazilian pegmatites can reach boulder size & weigh hundreds of pounds.
The rare Imperial Topaz is yellow, pink or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can have a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale Topaz undergo treatment to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet coloured.
Naturally occurring blue Topaz is quite rare. Often colourless, gray or pale yellow & blue material is heat treated & irradiated to produce a darker blue.
Mystic topaz is high grade colourless topaz which has been artificially coated with Titanium giving it a beautiful rainbow effect.
The name Topaz is derived from the Greek Τοπάζιος (Τοpáziοs) or Τοπάζιον (Τοpáziοn). Topazios is the ancient name of a legendary island in the Red Sea now known as St John’s Island. Here a yellow stone now believed to be chrysolite a yellowish Olivine was mined in ancient times. Topaz itself was not really known before the classical era but was mined on the same island.
Metaphysical Properties
Blue Topaz bring peace & harmony with a loving embrace. It quiets a chatty mind & stills anxious thoughts. This stone guides one to inner peace through learning about the self & external world. Topaz aids in communication both externally & internally it allows a seamless transition from intuitive thought into vocalisation.
It attunes to the Angels of Truth & wisdom. When meditating with Topaz the higher self-connection is very strong & divine messages become very clear. Blue Topaz supports one on their individual journey & gives strength via perseverance to the process.
Blue Topaz brings you back to your own truth & washes away the pain of the past. It cleans all chakras creating connectivity of all the body’s energy layers. Creative flow & fluidity of thought are the great gifts of Blue Topaz as even the most difficult of tasks become quite easy.
This stone helps us find our way through the channels of life & teaches us that our destinies are our choosing. Bravery is an illusion not needed when knowing is achieved. Blue Topaz gives us a solid knowing that we can & will achieve our greatest potential.
Crystal Healing
Great for anxiety, heart spasms, high blood pressure & lymphatic function. Enhances cellular activity & sensory receptiveness. Reduces muscular aches & arthritic pain.
Mineralogy
Group: Silicate Nesosilicates
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Composition:Al2SiO4F2
Form/Habit:Prismatic crystals with faces striated parallel to long dimension; also columnar, compact, massive
Hardness: 8
Cleavage:[001] Perfect
Fracture: Subconchoidal to uneven
Lustre: Vitreous
Streak: White
Specific Gravity:3.49–3.57
Transparency: Transparent
R.I:nα = 1.606–1.629, nβ = 1.609–1.631, nγ = 1.616–1.638
Colour:Colourless (if no impurities), blue, brown, orange, gray, yellow, green, pink & reddish pink
Birefringence:δ = 0.010
Fluorescence:Short UV=golden yellow; Long UV=cream
Pleochroism:Weak in thick sections X = yellow; Y = yellow, violet, reddish; Z = violet, bluish, yellow, pink
Strunz Classification: 9.AF.35
Dana Classification:52.03.01.01