How To Tell if Blue Topaz Is Real (3 Tips For Beginners)

Blue Topaz is easily confused with other gems or minerals.

In this article, you’ll learn more about this beautiful stone, and how to identify it.

How To Tell if Blue Topaz Is Real (Tips)

What Is a Blue Topaz Gemstone?

In today’s jewelry marketplace, blue topaz is the most popular color.

The gemstone comes in a variety of blue hues.

The light blue Topaz may have a light tonality. You might even find a blue topaz with a moderate to dark tone.

During the final stages of the crystallization of igneous rocks, topaz is formed by the release of fluorine-bearing vapors.

The mineral is a fluorine-containing aluminum silicate, and it’s commonly found in cavities in granites and rhyolites, pegmatite dikes, and high-temperature veins.

Its beauty and its status as a birthstone are part of what makes topaz so popular.

Among the natural colors of topaz are yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, and blue.

One of the topaz’s most important physical properties is its hardness. As the hardest silicate mineral, it has a hardness of 8.

Topaz crystallizes in an unrestrained cavity forms orthorhombic crystals with striations paralleling the long axis.

A distinct cleavage occurs at the basal surface, resulting in vitreous fracture surfaces perpendicular to the crystal’s long axis.

Despite topaz’s hardness of 8, it is a more fragile gemstone because of its cleavage.

Topaz is a very hard stone, but it is prone to chipping or cleaving because it has a low tenacity.

Topaz’s specific gravity is between 3.4 and 3.6.

That’s surprising for a mineral that consists of aluminum, silicon, and gaseous elements.

The high specific gravity of the mineral causes currents in streams to concentrate it into placer deposits.

How to Tell a Blue Topaz Is Real?

It can be difficult to determine if it is real when it comes to blue topaz.

While you can scratch the stone to see if it is real, this will damage it if it is.

A real blue topaz stone, the surface is slippery, smooth, and cool to the touch.

Moreover, the price tag will tell you whether or not it’s real.

When purchasing jewelry featuring these stones, you may receive a certificate of authenticity, or you can request that your jeweler send the stones to a laboratory for testing.

What Minerals Are Often Confused With Blue Topaz?

Many shady vendors often pass off blue topaz as aquamarine.

However, aside from appearances, the two stones differ greatly in many ways.

Aquamarine comes in shades ranging from blue to bluish-green, but no other colors exist.

The most common variety of topaz in nature is colorless topaz, but blue topaz is among the most valuable.

From subtle to intense, blue topaz comes in a wide range of hues.

It is often hard to distinguish blue topaz from aquamarine based solely on appearance, even for experts.

Therefore, it is often necessary to conduct tests to determine aquamarine from blue topaz.

Below are some tests you can do to help you tell the difference between a blue topaz and aquamarine.

The Inclusion Check

If the stone has visible impurities, look at it closely with a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe.

Aquamarine usually has fewer inclusions than blue topaz.

The majority of aquamarines in the market have excellent clarity.

You likely have a topaz if you encounter flaws, scratches, or other nicks.

The Color Check

Examine the stone’s color closely with the jeweler’s loupe.

For example, the color of an aquamarine will show blue tones and greenish tones.

Since a blue topaz is artificially colored, it will only contain blue tones.

The Birefringence Check

The refraction lines of blue topaz are more prominent than those of aquamarine.

Use the jeweler’s loupe to look at your stone closely.

Topaz is easily recognizable by two lines of refraction on its surface.

Usually, aquamarines do not possess this birefringence.

Diamond Tester Thermal Test

With a diamond tester, you can determine if your stone conducts heat by measuring its thermal conductivity.

For example, Beryl gemstones, including blue topaz, are conductors, whereas aquamarine is not.

Therefore, it is a blue topaz if it conducts heat.

If you’re familiar with London Blue Topaz, then you may know it may get confused for being a sapphire gemstone.

London Blue topaz is a nesosilicate mineral, while sapphire is a gemstone.

Sapphire is also rich, dark blue gemstone.

The London Blue Topaz’s inky hue is quite impressive; however, it’s a lot lighter than a sapphire stone.

Why Is It Important for You to Identify Blue Topaz?

As you can see, the blue topaz often gets confused with two other gemstones.

Sometimes it can be hard to know if your gemstone is blue topaz, sapphire, or aquamarine if you just look at it by appearance.

If you find yourself struggling to figure out if your blue topaz is real or fake, then perform one of the tests up above.

Now You Know How to Identify a Blue Topaz

Clarity is the essence of this vibrant blue gemstone.

This meaning of Blue Topaz helps you channel your intuition and find the perfect paths to success.

Those who wear this stone are encouraged to embody their authentic selves, trust their power, and reap a good fortune.

First, however, you have to ensure that your blue topaz is real if you to receive these powers.