Topaz - November's birthstone.
The most common colours of untreated Topaz are pale yellow, brown and grey. Pastel shades of light-green, violet and pink can also be found. Since these colours are rarely vivid, they are often treated to produce more exciting and intense hues. The most popular Topaz colour is blue.
In mineralogical terms, Topaz is a hydrous aluminum fluorosilicate with a unique crystal structure that makes it a hard and dense gemstone. One of the world's hardest minerals, Topaz is actually the hardest silicate mineral, making it a good choice for everyday jewellery. It also has an excellent clarity with a beautiful, soft velvety brilliance due to its high refraction and transparency.
Topaz can be found with fluorite and cassiterite in various areas including the Ural and Ilmen mountains of Russia, in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Mexico; Flinders Island, Australia; Nigeria and the United States.
Here are a few of the pieces we currently stock which contain Topaz.
Jeweller Caroline Stokesberry-Lee has created a central focus to these silver and gold rings with gorgeous blue topaz. See more of Caroline's jewellery here.
Raised silver pebble earrings set with Topaz, made by Emily Nixon. Emily lives and works in Penzance, Cornwall.