Where is topaz found

The El Dorado Topaz , also from Brazil, was discovered in It weighed around 36 kg, but after being faceted into an emerald shape and polished, was reduced to 6. It is the largest faceted stone in the world. Topaz can be a raw material for making refractory materials. These materials retain their strength at high temperatures, so can be used in furnaces, kilns, incinerators, and reactors.

They are also used to make moulds for casting glass and metals. The steelmaking industry uses most of the refractory materials produced. Topaz can also be used as a raw material in the production of fluorine compounds, and in ceramic and glass manufacture. The name topaz has been used for any yellowish gemstones for at least two thousand years.

Gem traders did not know that these yellowish stones were actually different minerals until about two hundred years ago. Gem traders recognised that quartz, beryl, corundum and olivine all had yellow variants and were not true topaz and that topaz could be other colours not just yellow. In addition, the island Topazios, after which the gemstone has been named, never produced topaz, but was a source of peridot, or olivine often confused as topaz.

The island is now called Zabargad Island. Ancient Egyptians believed that yellow topaz received its golden colour from the Sun God, Ra. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz gave them strength and topaz is mentioned in the modern translation of the bible, although the word probably referred to a yellow stone, not necessarily true topaz.

During the middle ages, the main source of topaz was from a deposit in the Erzgebirge Mountains in Germany. Hundreds of kilograms of yellow to brown topaz crystals were mined from the deposit. Then in the s, a large topaz deposit was discovered in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. During this period, Brazil was a colony of Portugal, so in , the Portugese Government officially recognised the deposit as an important commercial mine, and most of the gems were transported back to Europe.

Brazil remains the largest producer of Topaz in the world. Gem quality topaz was first found in Australia as a by-product of metal mining operations. In , tin was discovered in the New England area of New South Wales and mining commenced shortly afterwards. When the miners concentrated the alluvial material, sometimes they found pebbles of topaz. Waterworn topaz was found associated with gold, tin and wolfram deposits throughout eastern Australia.

Topaz contains the element fluorine, which only occurs in high concentration in a few geologic environments. Topaz usually forms along fractures and in cavities of igneous rocks like rhyolite, granite or pegmatite. The crystals grow in the late stages of a magma cooling, when there is enough fluorine to enable the formation of topaz. Some topaz crystals grow after hot fluids hydrothermal solutions , rich in fluorine, flow through cracks in rocks that have already cooled.

Topaz can also form in metamorphic zones. The official birthstone for November, Topaz is a popular gem that is thought to symbolize affection and love.

Topaz is usually formed in the cavities and crevices of rhyolite, pegmatite, and other igneous rocks. The gemstone is mined from numerous places all over the world and natural stones display a golden brown or yellowish color. You will find other colors of topaz, including red, gray. These colors are created either by impurities or by man-made treatments carried out to transform the hue of the natural gemstone. View Blue Topaz Catalog.

When explorers discovered a precious stone on the small Greek island of Topazios they decided to call it topaz, however, the gem actually turned out to be another precious stone—peridot.

Despite the confusion, the name stayed! The first yellow crystals modern-day topaz stones were discovered in Germany in , and then in , a large gem was found in Brazil. However, it seems that mix-ups seem to go hand-in-hand with topaz.

The huge stone was originally believed to be a diamond and was quickly fixed in place on the Portuguese crown. The gem was later identified as a topaz rather than a diamond — but kept its place on the royal headwear regardless. Huge topaz crystals have been found in the past in Ukraine and Brazil. Whilst natural blue topaz does exist, it is extremely rare.

More often than not, blue topaz is man-made via treatments. Shop Blue Topaz Rings. London Blue Topaz is believed to signify healing and calming. This could be the perfect gem to say sorry or prove how much you care for someone. Topaz grows as a crystal mineral in various granite rocks, and in lava flows. The topaz is found and mined in various places all over Asia: Japan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the renowned blue topaz of Sri Lanka.

The topaz is also found in mountain ranges all over Europe and originates in countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Norway and Sweden. By Contributing Writer. Finally, topaz can be found in specific sites in Texas and Utah, as well as in Mexico. Where are Rubies Mined? List of Rare Minerals.