Ametit

Winter is here, so This week's stone has some "internal fire": IMPERIAL TOPAZ

Imperial topaz is also known as "precious topaz". It is the most sought after natural topaz.

Considered to be the colour of the setting sun, imperial topaz gets its name from the Russian Tsars of the 17th century. This is because the tsars claimed exclusive rights to the pink topaz gemstones that were mined in Russia.

Imperial topaz is rarer than other types of naturally occurring topaz, which makes it more valuable. It was traditionally considered to be orange with red dichroism, (this means that when tilted in the light, imperial topaz can appear red or orange), but nowadays it is more widely defined as yellow, pink, red, lavender-pink and peach-pink topaz.

The natural pink variety is very rare. Brazilian imperial topaz can range in colour from bright yellow to deep golden brown and is sometimes even violet.
Imperial topaz can be distinguished from other pink gems such as kunzite, tourmaline, sapphire and ruby by its hardness (8 on the Mohs scale).

The ancient Greeks believed that topaz was a powerful stone that could increase the strength of the wearer and even provide invisibility. Both the ancient Egyptians and the Romans associated yellow topaz with the Sun God.

Imperial topaz is the birthstone for those born in November and for those born under the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius. It is also the gemstone that commemorates the 23rd wedding anniversary. In traditional Indian belief systems, topaz is said to unlock the throat chakra, which facilitates communication and self-expression. Therefore, topaz is thought to be beneficial to artists, writers, public speakers and others who are concerned with self-expression.