Topaz

November’s second birthstone is Topaz, symbolizing empathy, truth, forgiveness, power and love.  Topaz occurs in a variety of colours from deep golden yellow  (known as Imperial Topaz) to a light-medium brown (Champagne Topaz), as well as blue, pink, white and clear.

Ancient Egyptians believed that topazes were droplets of sunlight that had fallen to the earth and were sacred to their god Ra.  The Romans believed that Topazes were sacred to their sun god, Jupiter.

Birthstone
November: Yellow Topaz
December: Blue Topaz

Colour
Typically topaz is yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

Hardness
8 (1 softest – 10 hardest)

Anniversary Stone
16

Care
Topaz requires special care during cutting, polishing, and mounting. It’s not very tough, so a hard blow might split it, and extreme pressure or sharp temperature changes might cause it to break. To reduce the risk of breakage, cutters orient faceted topaz so the cleavage direction is at about a 15-degree angle to the table. Jewellers prefer to set valuable topaz gems in protective mountings. Or they use topaz in pieces that aren’t exposed to too much wear, like pendants and pins.

Cleaning
It’s important to avoid steam or ultrasound for cleaning topaz: Warm, soapy water works best.

Famous Topaz Gemstones
The American Gold Topaz is a giant, at just over 4.5kg. It is one of the largest faceted gems of any time on the planet.