London Blue Topaz (treated)

Item Description

London Blue Topaz hit the market about the same time as Swiss Blue Topaz, approximately 40 years ago. These gems made a huge splash when there were first introduced on the market. Topaz is a well-known gem, found all over the world, and although it is found in good variety of colors, I think a lot of people associate it with the color blue. The irony is that a good number of the blue Topaz gems you'll see on the market have been irradiated to create the color, which is the case for this gem. These stones start out as colorless Topaz, and through a precise irradiation process, they will change to various shades of blue. This process was developed to fill a demand on the market for Blue Topaz gems that was always lacking, and suddenly buyers had plenty of blue Topaz to choose from. This method is well known in the gem trade and is not at all frowned upon, provided that people KNOW that they're buying a treated gem. These stones are stable and will not lose their color (some naturally colored Topaz gems can actually fade to colorless if they are exposed to certain kinds of light (typically sunlight). Treated Blue Topaz has been a staple for jewelry stores and gem dealers around the world for decades. There aren't too many gems in the world with this color and this gem has a deep steel blue hue. This stone is virtually eye clean with an "oval Brilliant" cut. A great stone for a pendant or a big showy ring. Topaz is the birthstone for November as well, so this might be a potential gift idea for someone with a November birthday.