TOPAZ

BY: VERNIE SORIANO

DESCRIPTION

Topaz is the silicate mineral of aluminum and fluorine with the

chemical formula of Al2SiO4(F,OH)3 (Aluminum silicate fluoride
hydroxide).
It is used for the standard hardness of eight in the Mohs Hardness
Scale.
It is a common gemstone that has been used for centuries in
jewelry.
It is hard and durable gemstone, and will not dissolve in most
chemical solvents. However, it does have perfect cleavage which
can make it prone to chipping or forming flaws if banged hard.
Compared to other minerals, topaz is relatively resistant to
weathering and stream abrasion.
It is the birthstone for the month of November. In Middle Ages,
wearing topaz was believed to heal the body, cure insanity and
prevent death.

Colors of topaz include: clear, white, yellow, brown, orange, pink,

blue, green and gray. The color in which the topaz is most
commonly found is yellow. Blue topaz is a very popular gemstone
but this color is rarely found in nature.
Today, most of the blue topaz being sold as a gemstone has been
treated. To produce blue topaz, some dealers irradiate clear topaz
then heat it to produce a blue gemstone.
A small amount of topaz occurs naturally as pink and red crystals.
These are the most expensive colors of natural topaz.
Brown topaz can sometimes be heat treated to produce a pink
stone.
Two other colors of topaz are seen in the gemstone market. One is
a green topaz that has been produced by diffusing chromium into
the outer surface of the stone. Another treated stone is sold under
the name "mystic" topaz. This is a stone with an iridescent
appearance that is produced by vapor coating the surface of clear
topaz with titanium oxide.

BACKGROUND

The topaz has been known for at least 2000 years and is one of the
gemstones which form the foundations of the twelve gates to the
Holy City of the New Jerusalem.
According to Pliny, the name "topaz" is usually derived from
the Greek, Topazos, which is the ancient name of St. John's
Island in the Red Sea which was difficult to find and from which a
yellow stone was mined in ancient times.
Alternatively, the word topaz may be related to the Sanskrit word
"tapas" meaning "heat" or "fire". The Egyptians believed that topaz
was colored with the golden glow of the sun god Ra. The ancient
Greeks believed that it had the power to increase ones strength and
make its wearer invisible in cases of emergency. The Romans
associated topaz with Jupiter, who is also the god of the sun.

SOURCES

Topaz sources are distributed around the world. It is found in the

gravel deposits along with other gemstones in Sri Lanka, Madagascar
and Myanmar because of its hardness and specific gravity.
The world's entire supply of imperial topaz is mined from two mines,
the Vermelhao mine and the Capao mine, at Ouro Preto in Brazil,
where some experts say the deposit will be exhausted very soon. The
most important source for topaz is the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
Currently, Brazil is the leading topaz provider in the whole world.
Some topaz is also mined in the United States, in the Pala region of
California, and in the Rocky Mountains. Natural pink topaz is found in
North Pakistan and Russia.
Pale topaz that can be enhanced to blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka,
Nigeria, and China. Other sources are in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India,
Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mexico.

APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY

Topaz is widely used in making jewelry. You can get it on earrings,

rings, necklaces, brooches, bracelets, pendants, pins and cufflinks
which can be worn by both males and females.
The blue, orange, and pink colors are most often cut as gemstones,
and colorless Topaz is becoming increasingly popular as an
inexpensive Diamond simulant. Gigantic gems and faceted spheres
are cut from huge flawless crystals, and these make exquisite and
exclusive collector items. Topaz is rarely cut into cabochons.
Most of us tend to think of gemstones used strictly in a jewelry
capacity, but lesser quality stones can be ground down for industrial
uses as well. Topaz is frequently used as an abrasive in many
products, including scouring pads and knife sharpeners. It's even
used in sanding products and grinding equipment.

METHOD OF PROCESSING
1. MINING PROCESS

Topaz is typically mined through a process called "surface mining. There are five
different types of surface mining: strip mining, open pit mining, dredging, highwall
mining and mountaintop removal mining. Topaz can be collected through
underground mines as well. In most forms of surface mining, heavy equipment
and large machines are used to extract the mineral.
When a seam of the topaz is mined, the process used is strip mining. It involves
removing a strip of overlying rock and soil first. Open pit mining, as the name
implies, involves extracting minerals from the earth through an open pit.
Dredging is used to collect underwater minerals by clearing or enlarging the
waterways of boats. Highwall mining involves penetrating a cold seam through
the continuous use of a miner that is propelled by a hydraulic push beam
mechanism.
Explosives are used to blow the tops off mountains in a process called
mountaintop removal mining. This type of mining is used primarily in the
Appalachian coal fields of West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

METHOD OF PROCESSING
2. Once the topaz has been mined, it is polished. This gem
is polished with tin laps and tin lead laps that are
charged with diamond or aluminum oxide. This same
method is used to polish gems like chrysoberyl, garnet,
peridot, tourmaline and beryl.
3. Finally, the gem is put into jewelry and sent to a jewelry
store. The gem can also be sold by itself, without having
been put into jewelry.

REFERENCES

http://www.mineralszone.com/minerals/topaz.html
http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=100:sapphire&cati
d=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14
http://jewelry.lovetoknow.com/What_is_Topaz_Used_For
http://geology.com/minerals/topaz.shtml
http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/topaz_gemstone.aspx
http://www.gemsbrokers.org/gemstone/gems_and_gemo
logy/topaz_sources.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topaz
http://yourbirthstones.com/november-birthstone/#more145