Topaz rates an 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness.  Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated and irradiated to produce a more desired darker blue.  This quartz family gemstone has perfect cleavage , a property it shares with diamond, so a hard blow can cause it to split or chip.  Another important thing to know is that topaz does not naturally occur in the deeply blue saturated hues you find in the market today.

This gemstone is easy to clean with warm water, old soft bristled toothbrush and Windex.  It’s the ammonia content in the Windex that will makes your piece sparkle once again!

Imperial topaz is the most coveted of all the topaz and is naturally occurring golden orange to pink, also known as “precious topaz”.  It is considered to be the colour of the setting sun. This orange gem with red dichroism displays a magical color play of light when tilted in various light.   It gets it’s name from the Russian Tsars of the 17th century.  This is because the Tsars claimed exclusive rights to the pink/orange gemstones that were mined in Russia.

Reference a lovely example of Imperial Topaz found in the pendant section on the Castellano website.  When thinking of special gift giving, select a piece of exclusive jewelry, “Original, just like her”….