Everything about the Imperial topaz

The topaz stone is a semi-precious stone with excellent clarity and brilliance. It is a November birthstone and symbolizes peace, friendship, and happiness.

Among all varieties of topaz, including London blue topaz, Swiss blue topaz, and white topaz, the Imperial topaz is the most expensive one. It is extremely rare and its price can easily go above $1500 per carat.

What is Imperial topaz?

Imperial topaz, the most expensive variety of topaz with a deep orange-red color, is one of the most beautiful and rarest gemstones in the world. Today it is only produced in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

History

In ancient Europe, the Imperial topaz was a gemstone reserved for the royal family or the church and was a rare and expensive variety of all colored gemstones. Common people know very little about it.

By the mid-18th century, Imperial topaz became popular in France and Spain along with diamonds. It was often set in precious metals as bespoke jewelry for the upper classes.

Today, renowned jewelry brands still value the beauty of Imperial topaz. It is often paired with other precious gemstones and metals to create luxurious jewelry.

Imperial topaz properties

Generally, topaz is bright and translucent, but imperial topaz is an exception. The larger the size, the more likely it is to contain impurities.

Therefore, large and transparent Imperial topaz is extremely rare. Because of the low yield, it is even more valuable than diamonds.

Imperial topaz has a hardness of 8, which is as hard as ruby ​​and sapphire.

However, it exhibits low levels of toughness, so we need to take care of topaz jewelry carefully to avoid chipping or cracking.

In addition, high temperatures or sudden changes in temperature can cause topaz to fracture. Its color may fade with prolonged exposure to heat or sunlight.

Color: Gold, orange, red, and dichroic

Although there has been some controversy about the colors of Imperial topaz, the mainstream view is that it is mainly gold, orange, and red.

Generally speaking, gold is the entry-level for Imperial Topaz. The redder, the higher the market price.

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Therefore, the red Imperial topaz is the rarest and most expensive variety of Imperial topaz, with a unit price easily reaching $10000 per carats. And its quantity is very limited, you can't buy it even if you want.

In recent years, the newly discovered peach and purple imperial topaz stones have been particularly noticeable, but these gems have been treated at high temperatures, so they are still less valuable than the red and orange varieties.

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Finally, the best imperial topaz not only exhibits a reddish-orange hue but is also dichroic. Sometimes we can even see three colors on a single imperial topaz.

Where does Imperial topaz come from?

The Ouro Preto region of Minas Gerais, Brazil is the only source of Imperial topaz today. Pakistan and the Ural Mountains of Russia no longer produce Imperial topaz.

The Ouro Preto area in Brazil adopts open-pit mining, and it has to be stopped in the rainy season. Therefore, the mining time is only from December to May every year, which means that the quantity of Imperial topaz mined every year is very limited.

Also, only 1% of the ore mined can be used for gemstones, which is why the price of Imperial topaz keeps going up.

Imperial topaz price

How much is the Imperial topaz worth? Pricewise, the Imperial topaz is extremely rare and expensive. Its price can easily go above $1500 per carat.

In addition, Imperial Topaz comes in different colors and prices vary widely.  Generally speaking, gold is the entry-level for Imperial Topaz. The redder, the higher the market price.

Therefore, the red Imperial topaz is the rarest and most expensive variety of Imperial topaz, with a unit price easily reaching $10000 per carats. And its quantity is very limited, you can't buy it even if you want.

Imperial topaz meaning

Topaz is a November birthstone and symbolizes peace, friendship, and happiness. Imperial Topaz itself is a 23rd and 50th wedding anniversary gemstone, a testament to love and fidelity.

In addition, the Imperial topaz is regarded as a protective gemstone, which brings good luck to the wearer.

Imperial topaz vs. citrine

Imperial topaz and citrine differ in composition and physical properties.

Imperial Topaz is a silicate mineral with a density of about 3.53g/cm3, Mohs hardness of 8, a birefringence of 0.008 to 0.010, and a dispersion of 0.014.

It is relatively transparent and contains fewer impurities. Moreover, topaz grows vertically, and its ice cracks and batts are mostly straight.

Citrine belongs to the quartz family, and its main component is silica. The density is about 2.66g/cm3, the Mohs hardness is 7, the birefringence is 0.009, and the dispersion is 0.013.

Citrine has more ice cracks and lint than topaz and they are usually irregular. Citrine also tends to contain inclusions, while topaz does not.

Where to buy Imperial topaz jewelry?

If you want to buy Imperial topaz jewelry ranging from $50-$500, you can check Etsy. You can buy topaz jewelry that is affordable and of high quality and have them delivered to your house.

Alternatively, if you want to buy high-end or vintage Imperial topaz jewelry ranging from $500-$10000, you can check 1stdibs.

They have GIA certificated Imperial topaz jewelry that is exquisite and one of a kind. You can also have the products delivered to your home fast.

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This article is originally published on The Joue.