What Does Topaz Look Like?

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Topaz is a favorite mineral for many and it makes a great substitute for cheaper and an alternative gemstone for jewelry.  It has a little more complicated chemical formula at  Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂ than some other silica type minerals.  

The mineral topaz in its raw form is also quite a collectors item for rock and mineral collectors.  Most identifying traits of topaz will be while it is in its raw state and not cut into gemstones. 

Some Key Visual Looks of Topaz

When it comes to identifying the mineral Topaz there are some distinguishing features that can set it apart from other minerals.  If you have examined topaz enough, these features can end up being easier to note.  You can visually identify topaz by the following looks it will have:

  • Its surfaces: Topaz has vitreous, glassy, and shiny surfaces.
  • Its crystal shape: The mineral topaz is in the form of a crystal.
  • Uniformity: The crystals are uniformly structured throughout its length until the part where it goes to a point. 
  • Distinct number of sides: Its crystals typically have 4 sides which have the shape of a diamond.
  • Formation: It can form within clusters around bits of host rock from all sides.
  • Its colors: Topaz is commonly found as a clear and colorless crystal, but can come in colors such as black, blue, brown, brownish-yellow, gray, green, orange, pink, red, yellow, and white.
  • Host Rock: Its surrounding host rock is commonly granite and rhyolite that is rich in silica.
  • Streak: When running a streak, or scratch test, it has a streak of white.
  • The way it breaks: It can easily break along the horizontal axis of weaker parts in the crystal. 

There are some common features that make it difficult to identify topaz from other minerals.  One being that there are many different types of minerals out there that are in crystal form.  The items I have listed above should help in better distinguishing topaz from those other crystal type minerals. 

Some Different Looking Topaz Varieties

Topaz can come in a few different varieties.  Those varieties are generally based upon the different colors that topaz can take on.  A few colors of topaz can be quite rare and have even received some unique names.  Some topaz varieties that have a different look will include:

  • London Blue Topaz:  A very popular and deeper blue type of topaz.
  • Sherry Topaz:  A very light brownish and orangish topaz.  Sometimes looks a little yellowish.
  • Glacier Topaz:  This topaz is also blue but with a lighter hue.  Looks a lot like the color of glacier ice.
  • Imperial Topaz:  This topaz comes in an orange-reddish color.  This type of topaz is rare, and very expensive.
  • Colorless Topaz:  Topaz can come very pure and clear.  This type of topaz can be a good less expensive alternative for a diamond. 
  • Natural Pink Topaz:  Which is quite rare, and very desirable as a gemstone.
  • Black Topaz:  I don’t know if many have seen black topaz in its raw natural form.  I don’t think that many have this variety as a gemstone either. 

Topaz does have a good number of varieties that end up making this mineral a great gemstone. One I did not mention was the yellow topaz which often gets mixed in with the sherry topaz. 

  

Black topaz crystal: There are not many visual examples of a natural black topaz crystal like this one.

Different Visual Look Between Yellow Topaz and Citrine

One of the two most difficult minerals to identify against each other is yellow or orangish topaz and citrine.  They both have similar colors and when cut into a gemstone can be almost impossible for many to distinguish apart.  Some identifying visual differences between yellow topaz and citrine are:

  • Hardness on the Mohs scale of hardness:  Both minerals are called “defining minerals” on the Mohs scale, however Topaz is at an 8 while Citrine, which is a type of quartz, is at a 7.
  • Chemical composition:  Topaz is its own mineral with a chemical formula of Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂, while citrine is a type of quartz having a chemical composition of SiO₂:  Citrine will get its yellow color from slight impurities in its chemical formula.
  • The shape of the crystal:  Topaz typically has a uniform crystal length, with 4 sides, before it reaches its structure at the tip.  Citrine sometimes can vary in its crystal thickness before reaching its tip, and typically has 6 sides.
  • They do not naturally cluster the same:  A cluster of topaz crystals can jut out in every direction from a small piece of host rock.  Citrine crystal clusters are a bit more uniform and often crystals are next to each other on host rock.

Different Visual Look Between Topaz and Diamond

Much of topaz is colorless like a diamond.  A lot of times colorless topaz is referred to as white topaz.   I don’t make that distinction and will refer to it as colorless topaz as that seems to make sense when comparing it to a colorless diamond.  Some notable looking differences between topaz and diamond are:

  • Hardness on the Mohs scale of hardness:  Both minerals are called “defining minerals” on the Mohs scale.  Topaz is at an 8 while diamond is at a 10
  • Chemical composition is different:  Topaz is its own mineral with a chemical formula of Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂, while diamond has a chemical composition of C (solid carbon). 
  • Crystal shapes are not the same:  Topaz looks like an elongated crystal, typically with 4 sides, with a point. Where a diamond can look a little like a crystal, sometimes in a 3d diamond shape, but often looks like glassy rock.
  • Refractive index not the same:  Topaz has a low refractive index compared to a diamond.  Refractive index is in short, the ability to bend light entering and exiting the object.  
Topaz vs Citrine: One the left there is clear topaz with some yellow-brownish cherry color topaz. In the center we have a citrine crystal with a clear quartz crystal to the right of it.

Conclusion

Topaz has some pretty unique identifiers along with some very common ones with other minerals.  As a rock and mineral collector the biggest factor for me in identifying topaz is the look of the topaz crystal form.

It’s unique shape and crystal structure with a terminating point, I have seen hundreds of times.  

Attempting to identify cut gemstones of topaz gets a little more complicated and you might just have to take one’s word on it, or seek a professional who can look at the gem more closely.

If you are interested in the mineral topaz, I have written an article that has some great additional information about it that you might find interesting: “All About Topaz”

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