Semi-precious. Brittle. Hard (Mohs scale of 8). Inexpensive. All descriptors of topaz. Standard consensus places topaz's historical origins (and name) at Topazos Island in the Red Sea. Biblical books Exodus, Ezekiel, Job and Revelation mention topaz. Topaz's numerous colors include yellow, pink, green and blue. Brilliant eye catching blue topaz is hard to overlook.
Blue Topaz Information
Infrequently found in nature, blue topaz is light or pale blue when it naturally occurs. Most blue topaz gems start without color. Radiation and heat methods create the different shades of blue topaz. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that "There have been no reported cases of anyone being harmed by wearing irradiated gemstones." Blue topaz is Texas' state gemstone and the birthstone of December and Sagittarius.
Sky Blue
Lightest in color of all blue topaz is sky blue. Its appearance has similarities to aquamarine. The International Gem Society comments that "electron bombardment in a linear accelerator results in the light aqua-like blue known as sky blue."
Swiss Blue
Swiss blue topaz is darker than sky blue, but more vibrant. Swiss blue topaz is so named for "denoting the color of lightning or an electric spark" Swiss Blue Topaz Jewelry notes.
London Blue
London blue is the darkest blue topaz. The color of London blue contains hints of gray in an overall dark blue hue. Depth of shade makes London blue topaz the highest valued of all the blue topaz colors.
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