Although there is a great variety of precious stones in the world, one of the rarest, most captivating and valued gems is the Imperial Topaz, This is why it is possible to find it not only in a wide variety of pieces of jewelry, in which, due to its color, it has become confused with citrine quartz, but also because it is currently widely used in gem therapy, since it is attribute to it a great activating power of physical and spiritual energy.
This beautiful gem has placed Brazil on the world jewelry map, for being the largest producer of this and any other variety of topaz, which is why it has become one of its greatest ambassadors. Being specifically the city of Ouro Preto, in the state of Minas Gerais, the place where the only imperial topaz deposits on the planet are currently found.
Large-scale exploitation is concentrated in the Capão and Vermelhão mines, although there are also small-scale mines in this area managed by independent miners, who work this gem by hand, known as garimpeiros.
Although the main deposits of imperial topaz are found in Brazil, What some people probably don’t know is that According to history, the name topaz has two possible origins. The first suggests that it comes from the Sanskrit “tapas”, whose meaning is fire; while the second story suggests that it was named after the island of «topazos», located in the Red Sea, where this gem would have been discovered by the Greeks. Although it is believed that they confused the stones found with peridot, since these had a yellowish green tone and formerly yellow gems were considered topaz.
Likewise, its “imperial” designation also has two versions: in one, it is attributed to the first deposits of imperial topaz, discovered in the mountainous area of Ural, in Russia, during the 19th century, being reserved only for the tsar, his family and people of high hierarchical level. While the second, also based on historical accounts, indicates that this gem was designated in this way in homage to Emperor Don Pedro I of Brazil, who was enchanted by the beauty of several topazes delivered during a visit to the city of Villa Rica, today known as Ouro Preto, where it was discovered in 1760.
Like other gemstones, imperial topaz contains elements and impurities, to which it owes its wide spectrum of colors, including yellow, orange, red, pink, cherry, lilac and salmon. This scale is what determines its value based on its rarity and beauty, so yellow will be the least valuable and salmon the most expensive. Despite its value, imperial topaz is one of the most sought after gems among natural topazes, due to the fact that it is not enhanced by any treatment. Therefore, if you are looking for a unique and beautiful gem, you have a good excuse to visit Brazil.