Precious Topaz...

by Julie Lee of Julie's Jewelry Design, LLC

Precious Topaz is the yellow to orange variety of topaz.  Topaz is one of the traditional birthstones for the month of November and for the zodiac sign Sagittarious.  It is also given in honor of the 23rd wedding anniversary.

The name topaz comes from Toqazios, the name of an island, now called Zabargad, in the Red Sea.  Topazios is from the Greek word for "to seek" as the island was often obscured by fog and difficult to find.  Ironically, the stones found there were most probably Peridot, which was called topaz until the late sixteenth century.

For many years, any yellow stone was called topaz.  Yellow sapphire was called "oriental topaz".  Citrine quartz was (and often still is) called by the misnomers "topaz quartz" or just plain "topaz".  Brownish red citrine quartz is often mislabeled as "Madeira topaz".  Approximately "precious topaz" refers to true topaz of yellow color.

Symbolic of love and affection, early discoveries of precious topaz were placed in the jewelry of Russian Czarinas in the 18th and 19th centuries, thus earning the name "Imperial topaz" as well.

Call our friendly sales associates today to choose the precious topaz stone to be set in one of our jewelry items.