Topaz Treatment
Most topaz is clear (white) when it is mined. Then it is treated by various methods to become a colored gemstone. Swiss blue and london blue topaz is treated by radiation — sometimes taking years of a cooling period to complete before the gems are able to be handled. A new process was developed by Azotic, a US-based science research company, to apply a durable coating to the pavilion (bottom) of the gemstone with optical properties to give the gem color. The general name for this treatment is “mystic” and they have developed over six hundred colors of gemstones — the most popular are the mystic fire green, the pure pink, and the neptune garden.
Because these gems have a coating on the pavilion, they will appear different from the face versus the bottom angles. The coating is semi-permanent — it can be damaged with harsh chemicals or ultrasonic cleaner. The catch 22 is, untreated topaz shouldn’t be handled with harsh chemicals or in an ultrasonic cleaner — so it is really about as permanent as any other topaz would be. Topaz is an affordable gem, and makes a great natural stone alternative to more expensive counterparts.
