All topaz Except Silver/translucent and Champagne, Imperial or Precious Topaz which are natural offers a fine golden-yellow variety to bi colored bronws and peachy browns, known as Imperial topaz, is relatively scarce. Champagne topaz: One of the very few naturally colored varieties of topaz in a light to medium shade of brown, primarily found in Mexico.
Common Blue Topaz
treatments
Blue topaz begins as colorless or very lightly
tinted natural topaz crystals, which are then Irradiated to
change the color to blue and heated to stabilize the change. Neutron bombardment
in a nuclear reactor produces the deep slightly greenish or grayish "London
Blue", while electron bombardment in a linear accelerator results in the light
aqua-like blue known as "Sky Blue". Combinations of both treatments produce the
highly saturated "Swiss" and "Electric" blues. If neutron bombardment has been
used, there is residual radioactivity, and the gems must be held, up to a year,
before they have "cooled" enough to be worn.
In general, blue topaz is
modestly priced. Due to the expenses of reactor time the London Blue color is
short in supply and climbs in value.
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In early 1998, a new type of enhanced Topaz made its appearance, the surface-enhanced topaz, with colors described as blue to greenish-blue or emerald green and Mystic topaz has been created this way. Pink topaz is also treated with this technique.
Common Mystic Topaz
treatments
Colorless topaz, our raw basic material, is always
untreated. In order to convert eye clean colorless topaz of fine quality
into Mystic topaz, some high tech procedures are necessary. As much as we can
disclose, the cut and polished topaz is coated with an extreme thin titanic film
that functions as coloring agent. Very little heat is involved in the process
that improves the optical properties and provides a kaleidoscope of color. The
applied treatment is durable, hard, and only a few microns in thickness. With
care, the enhancement will last the life of the jewelry setting.
Last Update: 7 Sep 2008