Pink Topaz

Topaz, the November birthstone, occurs in a wide variety of hues. The rarest of all these colors is the rich, intense pink that in Victorian times became known as "Imperial topaz".

Imperial topaz occurs in very small amounts in Brazil, but the pink is always modified by orange or violet. Pale pink topaz comes from Pakistan, but the sizes are always quite small. Only Russia, in the days of the Czars, produced large pastel-pink gem material. This locality has long been exhausted, and large Imperial topazes are therefore found only in estate jewelry and old museum collections. Even this material is rare in sizes over 10 carats, and stones over 50 carats are virtually unknown.

The spectacular 79+ carat stone pictured above may once have been owned by a member of the Czar's own family. The setting is Georgian (pre-Victorian), dating from the early 1800's and contains more than 8 carats of diamonds. The center stone is nearly flawless and is believed to be the world's largest Imperial topaz.

Smaller pink topaz gems are occasionally available, usually appearing in Europe. Turamali has them recut to modern proportions, to achieve maximum brilliancy and color, and such gems are greatly prized because of their great rarity and incredible beauty.