"Topaz" was the name given, in ancient times, to all
yellow and brown gemstones. The name is thought to have come from an island,
Topazos, in the Red Sea, which was an early source for these gemstones.
It is unfortunate that the color yellow is usually associated with topaz, since
it also occurs in blue (mostly treated by irradiation), red and green (very
rare), and colorless (very common--many of which are irradiated to a permanent
Overseas buyers beware: Most of the yellow stones sold today as
topaz are actually citrine!
Be careful with brown topaz from Russia and
Mexico--it is light sensitive, and tends to fade in sunlight--keep it in a dark
place when it is not being worn.
With a hardness of 8, topaz has
excellent scratch resistance, but it also has perfect cleavage, so is somewhat
succeptible to impact damage (although in 15 years in this business, I have yet
to see a cut topaz that has cleaved during actual use).
Citrine is the yellow variety of quartz, with the
color ranging from a pale yellow to golden, through bright orange to a dark
reddish-brown orange (called "madeira). the colors of citrine closely parallel
those of yellow topazes, and the term "citrine topaz" is a misnomer used in many
parts of the world outside the U.S. Citrine is often sold as topaz to the
unsuspecting tourist! (In fact, during the early part of the 20th century,
until the Federal Trade Commission stepped in, it was misrepresented and sold as
topaz by some dealers and jewelers in the United States.)
With a hardness
of 7 and no cleavage, Citrine is an excellent gemstone for pendants, earrings
and rings where the design gives some protection from scratching.
citrines are mostly pale yellow, with most commercial stones being heat-treated
amethysts or smokey quartzes--a fact that does not deter from their value, as
they are relatively inexpensive gemstones, even in large sizes.