And so we come to November! You lucky November babies have two stunners as your birthstones and this week it's the turn of........Topaz!
The most common colours of natural, untreated Topaz are pale yellow, brown and grey as well as pastel shades of green and pink. As these are pale, most Topaz are treated through irradiation and/or heat to produce those vivid colours we know and love! The most popular are the three stunning blues ~ a deep blue is known as "London Blue"; a highly saturated medium blue is known as "Swiss Blue"; and a bright light blue is called "Sky Blue"
Imperial Topaz, with its distinct peach, pink, orange or champagne hues, is the rarest topaz variety. It is mined in the Ouro Preto mines of Minas Gerais, Brazil and deposits were also found in the Urual Mountains in Russia. In fact Imperial Topaz was named in honour of the Russian Tsars of the 17th Century who prized its luxurious golden-sherry hues. Today Imperial Topaz is classified as a very rare gem!
It was discovered over 2500 years ago and has more folklore and legend surrounding it than any other gem. It is said to attract love and fortune, protect against enemies an is even thought to aid with willpower to lose weight when worn with moonstone!
The Greeks believed Topaz gave them strength, relieved insomnia and restored sanity ~ sounds perfect for today's hectic lifestyle! They also thought it had supernatural powers and could make it's wearer invisible
Topaz became a talisman of power in Ancient Egypt, protecting it's owner from harm. The Egyptians thought it received its colour from Ra, the Sun God.
Topaz is a great gem to wear in jewellery as it's strong and durable. It's also pleochroic, a fabulous term that describes the different colours you can see in a gemstone as it's moved in the light eg red topaz can show reds, pinks and even yellows. Get in touch if you would love to add Topaz to your jewellery collection!