Swiss blue and sky blue topaz

One mineral, two blues: pale sky and bright Swiss.

Two blues from the same mineral. Sky blue is the paler one, a soft wash close to aquamarine, cool and quiet with no gray in it. Swiss blue is bright and electric, the blue of a pool light, and it holds that color even in small sizes. On a strand of faceted rondelles the stones are clear enough to see straight through, so the light comes back off the facet edges in short flashes rather than glowing from within.

Where it comes from

Topaz is aluminum silicate with fluorine and hydroxyl, Al2SiO4(F,OH)2, and it sits at 8 on the Mohs scale. The name and its variants were used for yellowish gems for at least two thousand years, and before the twentieth century nearly any transparent yellow, brown, or orange stone was called topaz. Modern gemology narrowed the term to one species, defined chemically and physically. The color range turns out to be unusually wide: brown, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and colorless, which is plentiful. Blue crystals grown by nature are very rare; one specimen from Zimbabwe measures 4.6 by 4.2 by 3.1 centimeters. Before 1970 most topaz in low to moderate price jewelry was yellow to brown. Blue is now the most popular topaz color in the jewelry market, sold from pale light tones through deep, darker blues. Our strands are cut in Jaipur, India, and chosen strand by strand in Cupertino, California.

What tradition says

Topaz has long been linked in folklore to love and to astrology. Because so many of the old stones called topaz were yellow, some people believed the gem could draw gold to its owner. In crystal tradition blue topaz is associated with calm, a settling of the thoughts at the end of a loud day, and that is belief passed along rather than fact. Precious topaz is a birthstone for November. Blue topaz is one of the modern birthstones for December, and it is the gem given for a fourth wedding anniversary. Sellers of birthstone pieces keep both blues on hand through the fall and into winter.

These are beliefs people have held about the stone, told as tradition. They are not claims, and not advice.

How makers use it

Faceted rondelles at 4mm are the workhorse, about 35 carats to an eight inch strand, and they go to just about everyone: makers turning out affordable something blue pieces for weddings, and sellers who stock by birth month. Nuggets go to designers building a single statement piece, and those strands run 80 to 120 carats. We carry both blues, plus carved melons. A stronger strand shows even color from end to end and crisp, unrounded facet junctions. Sky blue for the bride, Swiss blue for the bridesmaids, is an easy way to build a wedding set.

Looking after it

Wash with warm soapy water and a soft brush, then dry well with a soft cloth. Avoid hard knocks against other stones in a bead box or a bowl. Keep drilled beads out of ultrasonic cleaners, since the vibration works on the drill hole. The color is stable and will not fade with wear.

Sources: Blue Topaz - London Blue and Swiss Blue, What is Topaz Gemstone | Topaz Stone – GIA, December Birthstones: Blue Topaz, Blue Zircon, Tanzanite and Turquoise - International Gem Society, Topaz | Uses and Properties of the Mineral and Gem