Alluring Topaz

Topaz in Jewelry: Topaz is Novembers beautiful birth stone! Topaz can be a range of colors such as London (dark) blue to Swiss blue, burnt orange, clear (white topaz), and mystic topaz (a collage of color). Touchstone Gallery currently has a wide variety of alluring Topaz.

​Legend and Lore: The ancient Hebrew High Priests, mentioned in the Book of Exodus, had a breastplate filled with 12 stones to protect the gate to heaven. Topaz was one of these stones.  As a healing stone, Topaz is said to help with blood disorders, promotes rejuvenation, and helps in curing endocrine problems, thrombosis and asthma along with several other diseases. The Greeks believed that Topaz also had the power to increase strength.

Science of Mineral Formation: Topaz occurs in pegmatites. It is also found in high temperature quartz veins and sometimes in granite and rhyolites. The element chromium causes natural pink, red, and violet-to-purple colors in topaz. Imperfections at the atomic level in topaz crystal structure can cause yellow, brown, and blue color. Brown is a common topaz color. Topaz is commonly mislabeled as “smokey quartz”.