Perfect Size Rings: London Blue Topaz

TOPAZ
PENDANTS AND EARRINGS

Pure topaz is white, that is transparent, but it is often tinted by impurities making it wine-yellow or straw-yellow. Topaz may also be grey, green, blue, pink, or reddish-yellow. When heated, yellow topaz often becomes reddish-pink. Topaz can also be irradiated, turning the stone blue, ranging from a light pure color to very dark almost electric blue. A recent trend in jewelry is the manufacture of topaz specimens that display iridescent colors, by applying a thin layer of titanium oxide via physical vapor deposition. This stone is then sold as 'mystic topaz'.
Topaz has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale.

Topaz sources are distributed around the world. It is found in the gravel deposits along with other gemstones in Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Myanmar (formerly Burma) The most important source for topaz is the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Some topaz is also mined in the United States, in the Pala region of California, and in the Rocky Mountains. Natural pink topaz is found in North Pakistan and Russia. The world's entire supply of imperial topaz is mined from two mines, the Vermelhao mine and the Capao mine, at Ouro Preto in Brazil, where some experts say the deposit will be exhausted very soon. Pale topaz that can be enhanced to blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and China. Other deposits are located in Australia, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Scotland, Tasmania and Ireland.