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This article is about the mineral or gemstone. For other uses, see Topaz (disambiguation).
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Topaz
General
Category
Silicate mineral
Formula
Al2SiO4(F,OH)2
(repeating unit)
Strunz classification
9.AF.35
Crystal system
Orthorhombic
Dipyramidal class
Unit cell
a = 4.65 , b = 8.8 ,
c = 8.4 ; Z = 4
Identification
Color
Crystal habit
Crystal symmetry
Orthorhombic
H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)
Space group: Pbnm
Cleavage
[001] Perfect
Fracture
Subconchoidal to uneven
Mohs scalehardness
8 (defining mineral)
Luster
Vitreous
Streak
White
Diaphaneity
Transparent
Specific gravity
3.493.57
Optical properties
Biaxial (+)
Refractive index
n = 1.6061.629
n = 1.6091.631
n = 1.6161.638
Birefringence
= 0.010
Pleochroism
References
[1][2][3][4]
Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO4(F,OH)2. Topaz
crystallizes in theorthorhombic system, and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal
and other faces.
Contents
[hide]
3Etymology
o
3.1Historical usage
4References
5External links
Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine red,
yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be white, pale green, blue, gold, pink
(rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.
Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of
friendship, and the state gemstone of the US state of Utah.[5]
Imperial topaz is yellow, pink (rare, if natural) or pink-orange. Brazilian Imperial Topaz can often have
a bright yellow to deep golden brown hue, sometimes even violet. Many brown or pale topazes are
treated to make them bright yellow, gold, pink or violet colored. Some imperial topaz stones can fade
on exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time. [6][7]
Blue topaz is the state gemstone of the US state of Texas.[8] Naturally occurring blue topaz is quite
rare. Typically, colorless, gray or pale yellow and blue material is heat treated andirradiated to
produce a more desired darker blue.[7]
Mystic topaz is colorless topaz which has been artificially coated giving it the desired rainbow effect. [9]
Etymology[edit]
The name "topaz" is usually derived (via Old French: Topace and Latin: Topazus) from
the Greek (pzis) or (pzin),[13] from , the ancient name of St.
John's Island in the Red Sea which was difficult to find and from which a yellow stone (now believed
to be chrysolite: yellowish olivine) was mined in ancient times; topaz itself (rather than topazios) was
not really known before the classical era. Pliny said thatTopazos is a legendary island in the Red
Sea and the mineral "topaz" was first mined there. Alternatively, the word topaz may be related to the
Sanskrit word "tapas", meaning "heat" or "fire".[13]
Historical usage[edit]
Nicols, the author of one of the first systematic treatises on minerals and gemstones, dedicated two
chapters to the topic in 1652.[14] In the Middle Ages, the name topaz was used to refer to any yellow
gemstone, but in modern times it denotes only the silicate described above.
Many modern English translations of the Bible, including the King James Version mention topaz.
However, because these translations as topaz all derive from the Septuaginttranslation topazi[os],
which as mentioned above referred to a yellow stone that was not topaz, but
probably chrysolite (chrysoberyl or peridot), it should be borne in mind that topaz is likely not meant
here.[15] The masoretic text (the Hebrew on which most modern Protestant Bible translations of
the Old Testament are based) has pitdah as the gem the stone is made from; some scholars think it
is related to an Assyrian word meaning "flashed".[citation needed] More likely, "pitdah" is derived
from Sanskrit words ( pit = yellow, dah = burn), meaning "yellow burn" or, metaphorically,
"fiery"[citation needed].
References[edit]
1.
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