All About Topaz – Uses, Properties, Color, and Worth

What is Topaz?

Topaz is found as a crystal with very uniform natural edges.  Good crystals that are used for jewelry will have few flaws internal to the crystal.  Topaz can be found in some of the largest crystals, weighing thousands of carats, which in turn have led to some of the heaviest cut gemstones.

Topaz comes in at an 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness.  Even at a number 8 on the scale, these gems can still be dinged and chipped and care needs to be taken to prevent this. 

Blue topaz, as rare as it is, will be lightly colored and will need to be irradiated and heat treated to create a stronger artificial blue color.  Again with topaz, you want to avoid prolonged sunlight with these gems, the blue color will fade out just as any of the other colors will. 

There are many sources of topaz throughout the world, but the largest producer of Topaz is Brazil.

What is the color of Topaz?

The color of Topaz can come in the colors, Yellowish/brown (champagne), clear, black, gray, pink, orange, and blue.  Topaz can be in other colors such as green, red, purple, and multicolored though some of these colors are synthetic.

With a good handful of colors topaz can come in, it can make for some nice jewelry.  The more common color of topaz is the yellowish/brown color.  Even more common could be the clear variety of topaz.  Clear Topaz typically happens when the topaz is exposed to sunlight for a longer period of time.  The color of the topaz gets bleached right out of it so to speak.

What is Topaz Used for?

Topaz is used commonly in jewelry.  You can find them in rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and pretty much any other jewelry you can think of.  Clear Topaz is a great substitute for diamonds and can often have a really good look and sparkle when cut.

Some of the more rare colors like blue, orange, and pink are typically cut and sold in jewelry.  These colors can fetch a pretty large price as they can be fairly rare to obtain.

Another reason the use of topaz in jewelry is common, is due to its larger size in which it can be found.  With larger stones, some very elaborate jewelry can be created which can be quite stunning to the eye.

What is Topaz worth?

The worth of topaz is fairly small due to its large available supply.  Topaz value can be around $2 a carat or less for some of your more common colors.  Colors such as orange, red, or pink can have a value $100 to $1000 dollars per carat or more.

Many gemstones have their more rare types that can fetch more money per carat.  Orange topaz, or imperial topaz, can have a price tag of over $1K per carat.  Some very pink or red color topaz can go up to a few thousand dollars per carat. 

The sad story of blue topaz was that it could fetch some pretty good value per carat as it did carry some rarity.   However, due to all the treated blue topaz created out there by irradiation, the price of natural blue topaz has basically plummeted to around the value of the treated blue topaz. 

Keep in mind that the value of gemstones can vary with not only weight, but with clarity, color and the type of cut.  Topaz will follow the same value aspects as well, though topaz in its abundance, will have a lot more of it available with good clarity, color and any type of cut desired.

Where can Topaz be found?

Topaz can be found in several places around the world including; Africa, Brazil, Russia, Sri Lanka and the USA states of California, Colorado, and Utah. Some other minerals that are typically found with Topaz are; Apatite, Beryl, Cassiterite, Fluorite, Quartz, Mica, Molybdenite, and Wolframite.