London Blue Topaz

London Blue Topaz

London blue topaz, a striking and sophisticated gemstone, is celebrated for its deep, rich blue hues that evoke the allure of twilight skies. This captivating variety of topaz is particularly prized for its intense color, which can range from a dark, inky blue to a vibrant, electric shade, making it a popular choice in fine jewelry. Unlike lighter blue topaz, London blue is often created through a heat treatment process that enhances its natural beauty, resulting in a stone that exudes elegance and charm. Explore our wide range of loose London blue topaz for sale.

It is not surprising then that blue topaz has become one of the top selling gems in the jewelry business. Blue topaz is unusual in offering excellent hardness (8 on the Mohs hardness scale) and brilliance at a very reasonable cost.

Blue topaz can be found in both lighter and darker tones, usually known in the trade as sky blue topaz, Swiss blue topaz and London blue topaz. As in the case of other blue gems, the more saturated blues tend to have a higher value. So in topaz it is the London blue that usually regarded as the most valuable.

Among the blue varieties, London blue topaz is the deepest and most intense in color. Its rich blue shade resembles the depths of the ocean. London Blue Topaz is associated with serenity and emotional balance.

The reason why blue topaz is so reasonably priced is that topaz is a very abundant material. But natural topaz occurs mainly in white (colorless) and brown; natural blue topaz is actually very rare. Virtually all the blue topaz on the market is produced by treating white topaz with heat and radiation.

Natural White Topaz

The reason that the color of topaz can be changed by irradiation is due to the special way that topaz gets its color. Most gems, such as sapphire, are colored by trace elements such as iron or titanium. Some gems, such as peridot, are colored by elements in their essential chemical composition. But topaz is unique in that the color results from so-called color centers, which are imperfections in the crystal lattice that change the way the crystal absorbs light.

London blue topaz is typically produced by exposure to radiation in a nuclear reactor. When topaz is exposed to fast neutrons, the radiation changes the color centers, producing the deep blue color. Subsequent heat treatment is often used to lighten the inky color. Material treated in this way is likely to be radioactive and may require several months of storage before the radioactivity decays to safe levels. There are very strict rules in place to protect not only consumers but also the cutters and gem dealers who handle these gems on a daily basis. Discover our collection of loose London blue topaz for sale.