Beryl and Topaz Gemstones
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Questions and Answers

What is the most valuable type of topaz?

  • Maxi Blue Topaz
  • London Blue Topaz
  • Imperial Topaz (correct)
  • Sky Blue Topaz
  • What causes natural pink, red, and violet-to-purple colors in topaz?

  • Chromium (correct)
  • Iron
  • Color centers
  • Heat treatment
  • What is the result of heat and sunlight on topaz?

  • Color enhancement
  • Color fading (correct)
  • Color change
  • No effect
  • What is the most common color of topaz?

    <p>Colorless</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for blue topaz that has undergone heat treatment?

    <p>Swiss Blue and London Blue</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between blue topaz and other types of topaz?

    <p>Heat treatment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the origin of most topaz where they form in cavities?

    <p>Igneous rocks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the reason for the color yellow in topaz?

    <p>Color centers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the rarest type of topaz?

    <p>Red topaz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What affects the color of topaz?

    <p>Trace elements of Chromium and color centers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary method used to create or change the color of Topaz?

    <p>Heat treatment and radiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the desired result of heat treatment on yellow to reddish Topaz?

    <p>A salmon to purple-red color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of coating Topaz?

    <p>To create a descriptive term like 'mango' or 'peach'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What combination of treatments is used to produce blue hues in Topaz?

    <p>Radiation and heat</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the risk of heat treatment on Topaz?

    <p>It can break or cloud the stone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of irradiation on Greenish Yellow Beryl?

    <p>To improve the color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of heating yellow to reddish brown Topaz?

    <p>A highly saturated yellow to reddish brown color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of heating purplish-to-bluish Topaz?

    <p>To create a pink color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of coating certain Topaz?

    <p>To create descriptive terms like 'mango' or 'peach'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe orange-to-yellow to brown topaz?

    <p>Sherry Topaz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a common imitation material for aquamarine?

    <p>Pale blue glass</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe a violet-pink topaz from Pakistan?

    <p>Cyclamen Pink</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the process used to create synthetic aquamarine?

    <p>Hydrothermal synthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe a pink topaz?

    <p>Rose Topaz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is not a common imitation material for aquamarine?

    <p>Synthetic blue diamond</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe a yellow-to-orange topaz?

    <p>Sherry Topaz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of inclusions in Red Beryl?

    <p>Fingerprint and two-phase inclusions, unhealed fractures, solid crystal inclusions, distinct color zoning, and growth features</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the synthetic process used to create aquamarine?

    <p>Hydrothermal synthetic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the typical cut of Yellow Beryl?

    <p>Emerald cut, placed in rings, brooches, pendants, or earrings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a common imitation material for aquamarine?

    <p>Natural blue sapphire</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe a yellow-to-orange to brown topaz?

    <p>Sherry topaz</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the typical size of a faceted Red Beryl?

    <p>0.15 ct</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What treatment is used to improve the color of Yellow Beryl?

    <p>Irradiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of fill fractures with colorless oils or synthetic resins in Red Beryl?

    <p>To improve the clarity of the gemstone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of heat treatment on bluish green or greenish yellow Aquamarine?

    <p>The gemstone turns blue</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is used to bring back the blue color of Maxixe Beryl if it has faded?

    <p>Irradiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of heat treatment on greenish yellow Beryl?

    <p>To turn the gemstone into a blue-green color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What treatment is used to eliminate the yellow or orange tint in Morganite (Pink Beryl)?

    <p>Heat treatment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary cause of color variation in Topaz?

    <p>Defects in its crystal structure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of Beryl is known for its dark blue color that fades at different rates in the sunlight or heat?

    <p>Maxixe Beryl</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for the use of heat treatment on Topaz?

    <p>To enhance the color</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the pleochroism exhibited by Imperial Topaz?

    <p>Purplish red to reddish orange</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a common color range for Aquamarine?

    <p>Reddish orange</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary cause of the color variation in Green Beryl?

    <p>Presence of iron</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of Beryl is known for its rich shades of yellow and gold?

    <p>Yellow/Golden Beryl</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between the color of Imperial Topaz and Red Beryl?

    <p>Imperial Topaz is more orange-red</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Topaz

    • Largest consumers of topaz are in Eastern Asia, USA, and Europe
    • Preferred shades of topaz vary by region: pink and red in Eastern Asia, blue in the USA, and light yellow in Europe
    • Imperial topaz is the most valuable, with a medium reddish orange to orange-red color
    • Color range: commonly colorless, red, pink, purple, yellow, orange, brown, blue, and green
    • Red and pink topaz varieties are rare and highly cherished
    • Heat treatment is used to create or change color of topaz, but it's prone to breakage, clouding, and shattering

    Aquamarine

    • Largest market for aquamarine is China, followed by Japan, Europe, Germany, Italy, and the USA
    • Color range: blue, very slightly greenish blue, greenish blue, very strongly greenish blue, or green-blue
    • Finest color is moderately strong medium-dark blue to slightly greenish blue
    • Heat treatment is used to remove yellow and produce pure blue colors
    • Most aquamarine is heat-treated to enhance color

    Morganite (Pink Beryl)

    • Largest market for morganite is China and the USA
    • Color range: pink, rose, peach, and salmon
    • Trace elements of manganese are present
    • Found in pegmatite rocks

    Red Beryl (Bixbite)

    • Rare and valuable with a raspberry red, purplish red to orange-red hue
    • Found in the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah, USA
    • Has inclusions of fingerprint, two-phase, and solid crystal inclusions, distinct color zoning, and growth features

    Yellow/Golden Beryl

    • Rich shades of yellow and gold, sometimes with an orange or greenish tint
    • Found in pegmatite rocks in Brazil, Namibia, and Sri Lanka

    Sources of Beryl and Topaz

    • Afghanistan, Mozambique, Namibia, and the US are minor and inconsistent sources of Red Beryl.
    • Wah Wah Mountains in Utah, US, are a source of Red Beryl, but the mine closed in the early 2000s.
    • Yellow Beryl is found in Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as in Namibia, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.
    • Green Beryl is found in Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Australia.

    Characteristics of Cuts

    • Topaz is often cut into oval, pears, and emerald shapes due to its elongated crystal structure.
    • Aquamarine is often cut into emerald or round brilliants, and sometimes fancy cuts and ornamental shapes.
    • Red Beryl is often cut into melee sizes, with an average faceted weight of 0.15 ct, and 1 ct is considered rare.
    • Yellow Beryl is typically cut into emerald shapes and placed in rings, brooches, pendants, or earrings.

    Clarity Characteristics

    • Aquamarine is often eye-clean, but may have liquid inclusions.
    • Red Beryl may have fingerprint and two-phase inclusions, unhealed fractures, solid crystal inclusions, distinct color zoning, and growth features.
    • Yellow Beryl is typically eye-clean.

    Synthetic Processes

    • Aquamarine is often synthesized using hydrothermal methods in Russia.
    • Morganite (Pink Beryl) is synthesized using hydrothermal methods in Russia.

    Common Imitation Materials

    • Aquamarine is often imitated by treated blue topaz, pale blue glass, and synthetic blue spinel colored by cobalt.
    • Maxixe Beryl is irradiated aquamarine.

    Trade Names

    • "Rose Topaz" is a term used for pink topaz.
    • "Sherry Topaz" is orange-to-yellow to brown topaz, sometimes called "precious topaz".
    • "Cyclamen pink" is a violet-pink topaz from Pakistan.
    • Red Beryl is also known as "red emerald", "bixbite", and "raspberry red".
    • Yellow/Golden Beryl is also known as "heliodor".

    Cutting and Trading Centers

    • Topaz mined in Brazil is cut in Brazil, while other important cutting centers are in Germany, Thailand, and China.
    • Aquamarine is cut in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
    • Morganite (Pink Beryl) is cut in Shenzhen, China, and Jaipur, India.

    Geological Origins

    • Aquamarine grows in pegmatites, and alluvial deposits yield most material.
    • Morganite (Pink Beryl) contains trace elements of manganese and is found in pegmatites.
    • Red Beryl contains trace elements of manganese and is found in fissures of rhyolite.
    • Yellow Beryl contains trace elements of iron.

    Crystal Structure

    • Topaz has an orthorhombic crystal system, typically elongated with strong parallel grooves, and has basal cleavage issues.
    • Aquamarine has a six-sided columnar crystal structure with flat faces at its ends.

    Possible Phenomena

    • Aquamarine exhibits pleochroism, showing near-colorless and strong blue in different crystal directions.
    • Morganite (Pink Beryl) exhibits distinct pleochroism, showing pale pink and a deeper violetish pink.
    • Red Beryl exhibits pleochroic shades of purplish red to red to orangy red.

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    Stone Info Topaz & Beryl PDF

    Description

    Learn about the consumer markets and characteristics of Topaz and Beryl gemstones, including Aquamarine and Morganite. Discover the preferred shades and colors in different regions.

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