Topaz

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	Stone : Topaz Colour : Silver White Item : #1264 Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2019 Design : Third Eye Origin : O'Briens Creek, NQ, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 6.45 Carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 13.01X9.87X5.26mm Price : SOLD I wanted to see how the chrysanthemum would work in an oval shape so I cut one as an experiment and here it is. I knew that the oval shape would alter the pattern effect and I was very happy with the result. It reminds me of that carzy character in the "Ice Age" movies. If you look at the gem you'll see the "eyes" at each end. Something a bit different.
	Stone : Topaz Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2009 Item : #87 Design : Under The Dome #5 - Step Crown (Doug Menadue) Origin : O'Briens' Creek, Mt Surprise, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 7 carats Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 10mm X 12mm X 8mm Price : SOLD Comments : A big clear topaz from O'Briens Ck. The design is one of my own and is a very brilliant oval dome.
	Stone : Topaz Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2016 Item : #857 Design : Tangier (Jeff Graham) Origin : O'Briens Creek, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 6.64 Carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 10.11x10.11x8.79mm Price : SOLD Comments : A super bright and lovely silver white topaz from O'Briens Creek in North Queensland, Australia. This is a gem that I personally dug when I spent time at O'Briens Creek digging topaz, what an amazing area. I cut this wonderful topaz in a domed style design called Tangier by the late Jeff Graham. The topaz is just full of brightness and life, the design really does amazing things and in sunlight, goodness, you should see the sparkles and fire. It really is something special to see. A beautiful gem and one that comes from an amazing part of Australia, natural and straight from the earth.
	Stone : Topaz Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2008 Item : #83-OLE Design : Crusader's Shield (with Cross) (Fred Van Sant) Origin : O'Briens' Creek, Mt Surprise, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 5.44 carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 11mm X 10mm X 7mm Price : SOLD Comments : This topaz is cut in a design which, as the name suggests, resembles a crusader's shield. On the front (crown) of the gemstone is a "frosted" cross. This corresponds to the front of the shield where a cross would normally be painted. In one of the photos I have outlined the cross so that it can clearly be seen. It would make a special gift for someone and a lovely ring or pendant. It is cut in clear O'Briens Creek topaz.
	Stone : Topaz Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2013 Item : #502 Design : French Calibre Origin : O'Briens Creek, Mt Surprise, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 1.7 carats each Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 6 x 6 x 5.2 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A nice bright matched pair of topaz from O'Briens Creek, however one of the stones does have a slight touch of champagne about it. They were cut to go with #500 and together they make a fine suite of stones. These gems should fit a standard setting without any problems. There are pics showing the suite of three stones altogether to give you an idea of what they look like.
	Stone : Topaz Item : #c102 Design : Fantasy Origin : O'Briens Creek, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 10 Carats Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 15x11.3x6.3 mm Price : SOLD Comments : An O'Briens Creek topaz cut in a fantasy design.
	Stone : Topaz Item : #c104-OUE Design : Fantasy Origin : O'Briens Creek, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 6.7 Carats Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 12.7x10.5x5.6 mm Price : SOLD Comments : An O'Briens Creek topaz cut in a fantasy design.
	Stone : Topaz Hand Dug By : Doug Menadue Item : #c5 Design : Concave Trillion Origin : O'Briens Creek, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 4.1 carats each, Matched Pair Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 10 x 10 x 7 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A visually stunning pair of matched topaz. These gems have been concave cut and really are beautiful to see. The concave cut produces a kind of radiating sunburst effect. Very nice gems and together with #c10 you would have a fine matched suite of stones.
	Stone : Topaz Item : #c12-TUE Hand Dug By : Doug Menadue Design : Concave Trillion Fancy Origin : O'Briens Creek, North Queensland, Australia Treatments : None Weight : 5.1 carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 10 x 12 x 6 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A bright and flashy topaz from O'Briens Creek. Nice and silvery, concave cut. A fine gem.

Information For precious and semi precious gemstones

Stone : Topaz / Blue Topaz
Moh's Hardness : 8
Origin Locations : O'Briens' Creek, Mt Surprise, North Queensland, Australia; Oban, NSW, Australia; Africa; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Texas, USA; Russia; Afghanistan; Madagascar; Cornwall, England; and others.
Treatments : None to Various
Weight : Ranges from < 5 grams to 1KG+. Commonly found < 20 grams
Clarity : Eye Clean to Included
Color : Clear silvery white, natural blue, treated blues (eg. london blue, electric blue, swiss blue, sky blue), yellow, red-brown, red, pink-red, violet, green
Cleavage : Perfect
Chemical Composition : Al2[(F,OH)2/SiO4] - fluor containing aluminum silicate
Refractive Index (RI) : 1.609 - 1.643
Density : 2.49 - 3.57

Birthstones : Topaz (Yellow/Golden) is the birthstone for November.
Blue topaz (natural or treated) is the birthstone for December.
Topaz is the zodiac stone for the sign of Sagittarius.
Topaz is the ayurvedic birthstone for November.
Blue topaz is the stone for the 4th anniversary
Topaz is the stone for the 23rd anniversary

Comments : The history of topaz is a long and ancient one and the gem has long been used as an ornament and jewelry stone. The name "Topaz" is thought to come from the name of an island in the Red Sea formerly called Topazos but now Zebirget. Topaz was mined here on this island. Another possible origin of the name Topaz is that it comes from the Sanskrit word "tapas" which means "fire" or "heat". This could be due to the yellow/red colour that topaz sometimes occurs in.

Many people believe that topaz comes only in yellow and this is true, it does come in yellow. However fancy colors like yellow, reds, oranges and pinks are actually quite rare, so is the very beautiful natural blue. My personal thoughts on why yellow has become closely associate with topaz, in the same way that blue is associated with sapphire, is that in historical times the technology or ability to differentiate between types of stones was very limited. Yellow quartz, now known as Citrine, is quite common in many parts of the world and I believe that alot of yellow topaz was actually yellow quartz. Today we have the ability to tell the difference between the various types of stones but one still has to be cautious in the marketplace and buy from a reputable dealer as there is still the potential for confusion.

Topaz makes an ideal jewelry stone as it is hard and very durable. It cuts well into brilliant designs and becomes a gem that has lots of scintillation and "fire". If I was pushed to pick a personal favorite of all the gemstones, I would probably have to give natural blue topaz the nod. It is a stone that I love to cut and the colour, though soft, is divine. Truly it is! The soft blue colour is for me, the most elegant of blues, soft and delicate, sometimes ethereal, sometimes icy like the blue in an arctic iceberg. It is cooling on a hot day, fresh and light and always cheery and pleasing. Each stone is unique in its coloring, some have more blue, some less. The colour is easily as beautiful as aquamarine and in truth, far better then the vast majority of aquamarine that is in the marketplace.

Sadly, with the advent of modern gemstone treatment technology, natural blue topaz has taken an undeserved fall from popularity. Irradiation and heating is now routinely used to change the clear silvery white topaz into a uniform array of vivid treated blues. These stones have the trade names of london blue, electric blue, swiss blue and sky blue. The colour is the same for each category and this is the material that you see in jewelry stores across the land. It is cheap and plentiful whereas the natural blues are scarce and relatively expensive. This sudden mass explosion of treated blues dealt the natural blues a blow and that is sad, for these natural blues are easily one of the most beautiful gems in the world of coloured gemstones. Blue sapphires might be the Queen of Gems, but if there is a Princess of Gems, she would be a natural blue topaz.

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