Jewelry with topaz looks very beautiful, which is why it is very popular among jewelry lovers. But, unfortunately, the beauty of these stones begins to fade over time due to many reasons that the unlucky owners may not be aware of until they have to deal with the deterioration of the appearance of the stone. It may fade, losing its former shine, become cloudy or fade. If you have jewelry with this mineral, it will be very useful to learn how to clean topaz at home. In most cases, this helps restore it to its former attractiveness and beauty. About the origin, use and colors of topaz →
Which zodiac sign suits
Topaz affects all zodiac signs differently. It often has positive effects, but in some cases it can be dangerous. Therefore, it is important to study in more detail who he is suitable for according to the horoscope:
- For Aries it is an amulet of wisdom. It emphasizes their strengths, makes them resilient and fair.
- Taurus with topaz gain spiritual development and courage. This sign should not wear such a talisman regularly - it can harm family relationships.
- Topaz is just perfect for Gemini. He pacifies their fickle, flighty disposition. Helps you overcome health problems and teaches you to enjoy life and enjoy every little thing.
- It will protect Cancers from rash, impulsive actions. He also acts as a good protector for this sign.
- For Virgo, this is a great way to balance an overly pedantic character. Topaz will reveal hidden talents in representatives of this sign.
- Massive topazes are ideal for Leo. They emphasize their aristocratic noble nature.
- With the help of topaz, Libra will improve relationships with loved ones and make new friends.
- For Scorpio, as well as Gemini, this is an ideal crystal in terms of compatibility. It will help you find inner harmony and make a person liberated.
- Sagittarius people need to wear topaz regularly. He will regulate their chaotic disposition, help them find peace and answers to all their questions.
- For Capricorns, topaz reveals sexuality and suppresses negative thoughts.
- For Aquarius, the crystal acts as a powerful protection against the evil eye and damage.
- Pisces under the influence of the gem will become more sociable and open. Therefore, caution should be exercised when wearing such a talisman.
Artificial acquisition
Synthesized in different ways: by heating a mixture of Si02, Al2O3 (or aluminum silicates), HF and H2O to 500°; when heated in an autoclave a mixture of Na2SiFe, amorphous Al2O3, SnCl2 and water at a temperature of 500° and a pressure of 4000 kg/cm2 for 9 days (together with cryolite, chiolite and quartz), for 10 days under the same conditions - together with cassiterite, cryolite and a small amount of albite.
Diagnostic signs
Similar minerals. Phenakite, corundum, aragonite, datolite, beryl.
It differs from andalusite in its perfect cleavage along (001) (andalusite has prismatic cleavage), smaller angle of optical axes, sign and optical orientation; from sillimanite - weaker birefringence and a different direction of cleavage; from feldspar - greater density and hardness, higher relief, absence of twins and indirect extinction; from quartz - cleavage, hardness and density; from apatite - birefringence, well-defined cleavage; from zoisite, melilite and vesuvian - the absence of anomalous interference coloring.
Satellites. Associated minerals. Tourmaline, mica, beryl, rose quartz, fluorite, smoky quartz, feldspar, cassiterite, wolframite, etc.
Varieties
Divided by color:
- The most common colorless topaz (sometimes called white). Could be confused with diamonds. But topazes do not have the famous diamond shine.
- Yellow . A lot of them. Color ranges from pale yellow to greenish.
- Pink . They are not found often, but the price for topaz is moderate. Maybe because there is a synthetic analogue.
- Blue . Also rare. There are several shades of color, Sky Blue is the most common.
- Blue (dark blue). Commercial name "London". Looks like sapphire. The darker the shade, the more valuable the crystal.
- Rainbow (mystic or nirvana topaz). An ordinary colorless crystal (sometimes it is not even topaz, but quartz or cubic zirconia). Only a special film is sprayed onto it, then it is “frozen”.
Bukanov writes: “Transparent crystals of topaz, covered with a white crust similar to tooth enamel, are called “horse teeth.”
Why does a stone lose its appearance?
The main reasons why a stone stops shining are bright sunlight and ordinary running water. Also, temperature changes contribute to the deterioration of the appearance of the mineral. It should be noted that London topaz should be especially protected from these factors, because its wonderful color is created artificially.
It is precisely because sunlight is destructive to topaz that it is recommended to wear jewelry with it in the evening. Owners often ask why the stone has become cloudy. The answer is simple: as a result of a sharp temperature change (for example, when leaving a warm car into a cold one), microscopic cracks can form in it, disrupting its structure, so it becomes cloudy.
By the way, ordinary running water, in which inexperienced people most often wash jewelry, is not harmless. It contains a number of chemical compounds and substances that negatively affect the condition of topaz.
What determines the price of a gem?
Several factors influence the cost. Here's how they rank in order of importance:
- Color. The most popular are yellow, pink, and reddish crystals. There are few red specimens in nature, the demand and price for them are high.
- Purity. Minerals of all colors, with the exception of colorless and blue, according to the classification of the purity of jewelry stones, are classified as type II.
- Quality of cut. Crystals of natural origin are valued higher than refined ones.
- Weight. Large topazes are common, so there is no need to talk about the effect of mass on cost. What makes them valuable is the combination of quality of polishing, color, and shape.
The most expensive crystals are red ones, priced from $300 to 1000. Pink ones cost from $100 to 500. Yellow ones are affordable for any budget - about $50. London blue is even cheaper - from $3 to $5.
No. 1 Color and density of topaz How and with what to wear the stone?
Topaz stone (photo) has the same properties and meaning regardless of the shade. And the stone has many shades and colors! What color is topaz, you ask, and you will get an answer - almost anything. Topaz of rich blue color, blue topaz, is popular. Transparent white topazes are found in nature, but are not popular in jewelry because they are more difficult and expensive to process than quartz, which costs much less.
What color is the topaz stone, which is considered expensive and high-status? This is a question you can easily hear in a jewelry store. Answer: golden topaz, or fancy- colored topaz (yellow on one side, blue on the other). Blue topaz stone, a photo of which is easiest to find on the Internet, is mined in many countries, but Brazilian topazes are called the most exquisite. The meaning of the blue topaz stone is to purify the owner’s thoughts, calm, and bring to life during times of stress. By the way, topaz loses color when exposed to direct sunlight and heat - take care of it in the summer! This is the only answer to the question whether topaz can change color.
Blue topaz stone (photo) properties and meaning - increased density, bright color, compatibility with silver, suitable for light eyes and hair. Yellow topaz is worn by those with brown eyes and dark hair.
Terminology
The natural ability of minerals to change their initial color is officially called differently:
- The effect of pleochroism or simply pleochroism (multicolor). The ability of a mineral to change color when light is reflected in different directions. That is, when turning or from a different viewing angle, the color of the stone is different.
- Alexandrite effect. Changes in the color of a mineral under different lighting (daytime, twilight or artificial). The second name is color reverse. Jewelers operate with it, implying the property of crystals to change color only under artificial light. Its depth is measured as a percentage: the greater, the more expensive the gem.
At the everyday level, any such stone is called a “chameleon”.
Only natural minerals have the listed properties, not synthetic ones.
No. 3 Precious or semi-precious Topaz What else do you need to know about the stone?
What does the topaz stone look like (photo), we have already gone broke, all that remains is to find out what its relationship is with other stones. Remember that topaz is dangerous for other semi-precious stones - it is denser than them, its edges are often sharper - they can easily scratch products with quartz, gold and silver. It doesn’t matter what color topaz comes in - the main thing is that you store it isolated from other stones. However, it is not scary for precious stones.
Topaz stone has calming and calming properties and meaning for humans. The same is true for the child. Moreover, since we are talking about a dense and bright stone, topaz is a good gift for a child over three years old. The decoration is easy to clean yourself with a sponge, napkin or soapy water on a brush. The child can handle this! By the way, blue topaz in silver has properties that are most suitable for school-age children. Give your child a topaz pendant or a keychain in the shape of a cartoon character with a small stone.
Be careful when buying topaz! Blue stone, whose name is topaz, is counterfeited using glass, cubic zirconia, or colored quartz. Ask the jewelry store to show the jewelry tag.
Other names of the mineral
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You can also find blue topaz under the names pasion, siberian diamond, topaz, tumpaz or heavyweight.
Very often, counterfeit versions of artificial quartz minerals that have nothing in common with their natural counterparts are sold under the guise of topaz and golden topaz.
Also, the group of topaz does not include rauchtopazes, “smoky”, “oriental”, “Indian”, “Spanish” topazes, “topazolites” and Ural “tumpases”. Over the long period of its use, topaz began to acquire various invented synonyms, among which we can list the following: “Brazilian rubies”, “Brazilian sapphires” and the like.
No. 2 The healing properties of topaz Properties of topaz stone for women and men
Topaz has extremely beneficial medicinal properties. In ancient times, the stone was called an assistant to entrepreneurs and scientists. It was believed that the stone taught one to focus attention, develop logic, concentrate on a subject, and also contributed to the development of imagination. What color of topaz, photos of which you will find in the “Rings with Topaz” section, can become a successful gift for a man? This is a delicate blue topaz in a massive silver ring.
The properties of blue topaz for women are assistance in bearing a child, normalization of sleep, topaz turns even very temperamental women into gentle guardians of the hearth. Give blue topaz to women in the form of a pendant that can be worn at heart level. Jewelry consultants are often asked why blue topaz changes color in this position. Astrologers attribute this to the fact that when worn, topaz transfers some of the energy to the owner. According to another version, the healing properties of topaz stone have nothing to do with it. Topaz changes color under the influence of temperature and ultraviolet rays. Just physics.
No. 4 Determining the authenticity of topaz What color are topazes and how to calculate them?
We have already discussed above what properties topaz has in silver and why topaz changes color. It's time to learn how to identify a stone among fakes and buy a genuine and status topaz. Topaz is easily recognized by its density (7 on the Mohs scale); it can scratch semi-precious stone or glass. Another way is to rub topaz on wool. Real topaz will become electrified and begin to attract light objects (paper, hairs).
If you have methylene iodide on hand and you get a topaz without a rim, check its authenticity by throwing it into a glass of liquid. Topaz (which means blue topaz stone, we figured it out in the first section) will go to the bottom of the container , the fake will float to the surface. By the way, you are safe if you like blue topaz - it is distributed all over the world and is relatively inexpensive, there is no point in counterfeiting it!
PS Is topaz a precious stone? No, just semi-precious. But it is affordable - you can delight yourself with jewelry with stones every day. Tell us in the comments why you are attracted to topaz, what you are used to wearing it with and who to give it to!
Sincerely, Yulia Koltsova , Key Account Manager TopGrant.ru
MORPHOLOGY
The crystals are common, usually rich in facets and often well formed. The crystal habit is rhombic-prismatic or meek-columnar. Sometimes large, crystals weighing up to 60-80 kg have been found. The faces of the prism are usually few in number, and the heads of the crystals are very varied and rich in faces; the faces of the prism often have rough vertical shading. Characteristic signs of natural dissolution appear on the heads of crystals in cone-shaped and nipple-shaped forms, and on the faces of prisms - in the form of negative tetragonal pyramids and grooves parallel to the elongation. Also parallel columnar coarse-crystalline intergrowths, cryptocrystalline “jasper-like” formations, radiant and thin-lamellar (pycnite) aggregates.
Methods for cleaning stones framed in silver
Cleaning topaz in a silver frame is not a complicated procedure at all, which you can easily do yourself without resorting to the services of specialists. You should not use detergents with silver-framed items, as they react chemically with silver and can cause irreparable damage to the mineral.
There are other options for cleaning such jewelry:
- First of all, you should wet the jewelry itself with cool water, then take a toothbrush marked “soft” and squeeze toothpaste onto it. Clean the frame and the mineral itself using circular movements for a short period of time. After this, you need to rinse the jewelry with water. During this process, it is worth reducing the contact of the product with water.
- In this cleaning option, we will need a small container filled with water at room temperature with the addition of a small amount of wine vinegar (literally a few drops, do not overdo it). Place the jewelry there. The cleaning period will be about half an hour. Then remove the jewelry from the solution and wipe it with a cloth. In the case of glued topaz, there is no need to immerse the product in the solution - just moisten a napkin and wipe the jewelry.
- And the last way. It is worth purchasing a special paste for such products. Such a substance is now in the public domain, and finding it will not be difficult. The only disadvantage of this product is its high cost. So the first two methods are the most affordable, and the result is the same.