Topaz Stones and Topaz Jewelry
 Topaz stones, like other members of the quartz family are beautiful as well as budget priced for making attractive jewelry pieces. Like other stones in this group, topaz stones have a Mohs hardness degree of 8 (the same as Aquamarine, Rubies and Emeralds), making them hard enough to be cut as gemstones, and made into rings, necklaces, broaches, and the like. Topaz stones are best known for their blue and pink colors, but they also come in golden, brown, and even colorless varieties. Blue topaz stones are often substituted for aquamarine stones as they can be just as beautiful, if set in the right mountings, as well as nearly as hard. They are harder than most other quartz stones which usually have a hardness of only 7.
Topaz stones can be heat treated to make them change color; i.e. a clear topaz stone will turn pink or brown if heated sufficiently. Real topaz stones are not to be confused with other stones such as "Nevada topaz" i.e. smoky obsidian, "Bohemian" or "Madera" topaz (actually yellow quartz) and "Spanish" topaz (orange brown quartz).
Yellow topaz is often used as birth stones for the month of November, while blue topaz are favorites for December.
To give you an indication of the value of topaz stones compared to Aquamarine and other precious stones, a 2 carat blue topaz round or oval ring in a gold mounting will cost under $200, with most of the cost going for the value of the gold.
Topaz stones are heat sensitive and should never be left in a car on a hot summers day, they are also susceptible to scratching and should only be cleaned with warm soapy water.
Natural topaz minerals are found in a number of countries the world over, including many African countries, Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russia, Pakistan, and the USA.
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