The brilliance of imperial topaz stones have attracted admirers since they were discovered in Portugal in the eighteenth century. A curious feature of these stones is that they can display different colors based on the direction of the crystals. Here's a look at reasons you may want to add imperial topaz stones to your gem collection.

Covering a Wide Color Range

Diversity in color schemes is one of the fundamental attractions to topaz stones. These gems can be found in blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and brown. It's also common for them to be colorless, which can be treated to achieve a blue effect. The allochromatic effect of topaz colors is based on impurities in crystal structure rather than chemical composition.

Many people perceive blue topaz to be inexpensive due to its widespread availability on the market. But the value of the gem is largely determined by its size, as topaz offers some of the largest crystals in the world. Brown is a very common topaz color, while red-orange imperial topaz is rare and expensive.

The gems often have mixed colors, such as yellow and brown. Traditionally, topaz was a blanket term for all transparent gems displaying yellow, brown, and orange hues. Gemologists have since reclassified the stones.

The brighter colored gems are widely referred to as precious imperial topaz stones. Those that display more than one color are called bicolor topaz. Certain colors, such as pink, can make topaz appear to resemble a diamond.

Blue topaz is celebrated as both a November and December birthstone, as determined by the Jewelers of America. Imperial topaz, which is the rarest type of topaz, represents 4th and 23rd anniversaries. This magnificent color spans gold, orange, red, and pink hues and can be found in Brazil. Other sources include Russia, Australia, Mexico, Pakistan, and the United States.

The Most Valuable Imperial Topaz

One of the most prized topaz colors is red, according to the Gemological Institue of America. The orange to red versions, known as imperial topaz, command the highest value, while the colorless gems are the most common. Red represents less than a half of one percent of topaz found on earth. Dealers ususally expect to see red in order for the gem to be considered imperial topaz.

Blue is widely available as a treated color, but naturally strong blue is rare. Treated blue has been mass-marketed as topaz since the '70s. An experienced gemologist with the proper tools can determine if the color is natural or treated.

Qualities of Imperial Topaz Stones

While a diamond has a hardness of 10, imperial topaz stones have a hardness of 8. The most eye-catching imperial topaz stones have no inclusions, projecting stunning clarity. Topaz crystals are often cut as long oval or pear shapes, but also in various styles. Some of the other shapes of crystal cuts include triangles, rounds and emerald cuts.

A major factor for determining the value of imperial topaz stones is carat weight. Gems of this family larger than 10x8 mm tend to be less common and more expensive. Some of the most expensive imperial topaz stones weigh over 70 carats.

Conclusion

Imperial topaz stones are attractive and stand out as much more rare than common blue or colorless topaz. Contact us at Ralph Mueller & Associates to learn more about how you can find these rare gems on the global market. We work closely with certified gemologists who give fair and accurate appraisals for jewelry.