Skip to content

Topaz

Shop topaz online · 13 pieces in stock · Fine minerals since 1961

Shop Topaz at Mohs 8: Sherry Crystals, Imperial Colour and Treated Blue Stones

Topaz is aluminium silicate fluoride hydroxide, Al2SiO4(F,OH)2, an orthorhombic species at Mohs 8 with one perfect basal cleavage plane. A good crystal keeps that plane closed and holds glassy lustre on striated prism faces. Astro Gallery of Gems buys topaz at source and states the country on each listing. Sherry crystals from the Shigar Valley open the range, gem-grade Ouro Preto material tops it, and irradiated blue topaz set in silver holds the accessible end. Choose crystal or cut stone, then shop by colour, weight and locality.

Locality decides which of those colours reach the catalogue. Pakistani and Afghan pegmatites give sherry and champagne crystals with glassy faces, Ouro Preto in Brazil gives the imperial oranges, and blue topaz starts life as colourless material. Colour therefore reports treatment as much as origin, and the next thing worth knowing about topaz is how it breaks.

What Mohs 8 Means for Topaz Durability

Cleavage and hardness pull in opposite directions on topaz, and a buyer who reads only the Mohs number gets caught.

Mohs 8 hardnessTopaz sits at 8 on the Mohs scale, above quartz at 7 and below corundum at 9. Dust and steel will not mark a polished topaz face, which is why cut stones hold their finish in daily wear.
One perfect cleavage planeTopaz cleaves perfectly on the basal plane, square across the prism. A knock along that direction opens a flat mirror-bright plate that no amount of repolishing closes, and hardness gives no protection against it.
Hard is not toughMohs 8 measures scratch resistance on topaz rather than toughness. Faceters orient the table a few degrees off the cleavage so that a blow to one facet does not run straight through the stone.
Incipient cleavage in the imagesStudy the topaz listing photographs for a flat silvery reflection running square across the crystal. That marks a cleavage plane already parted inside, and it caps what the piece is worth.

The Topaz Colour Range and Which Colours Arrive Treated

Worth follows colour on topaz, and colour follows either geology or a treatment line.

Topaz colourSource and treatment status
ColourlessAbundant, and the feedstock the blue trade runs on. Untreated it sells as a white gem or as a water-clear crystal among mineral specimens.
Sherry and champagne brownNatural colour out of Pakistani and Afghan pegmatites. Some brown topaz pales under months of direct sunlight, so shelf position matters.
Imperial, pinkish orange to redNatural, and commercially confined to Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais. The scarcest colour and the top of the topaz price ladder.
PinkMostly heat treated from Brazilian brownish material. Natural pink topaz exists and rarely reaches the market.
Blue, sky through Swiss to LondonIrradiated and then heated colourless topaz. This is standard across the trade, the colour is permanent, and set stones sit in pendants.

Where the Topaz in Stock Was Mined

Pendant stones travel from anywhere, but crystals carry a locality that decides colour, habit and scale.

Shigar Valley, Skardu, PakistanTopaz from Shigar Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan arrives as transparent sherry crystals with sharp complex basal pinacoid terminations and glassy lustre faces, at small cabinet scale. Matrix groups pair those crystals with colourless quartz and white albite.
Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, BrazilOuro Preto is the commercial source of imperial topaz, and Brazilian crystals here run into the hundreds of grams with etched flat terminations. Buy Brazilian topaz for interior clarity and colour saturation rather than for matrix.
Kunar, AfghanistanAfghan pegmatites at Kunar produce slender sherry topaz prisms capped by the same basal pinacoid as the Pakistani material. Sizes stay modest, so Kunar crystals suit a display case rather than an open shelf.
What each topaz listing statesAstro Gallery states weight in grams, dimensions in inches, country of origin and its own photographs on every topaz listing. Everything sold is authentic, and the gallery does not sell replicas or casts.

Check Topaz Prices Before You Buy

Those listings carry the price, and topaz prices answer to colour and clarity more than to weight. A small imperial crystal outruns a large sherry group. The table below pulls live from the catalogue.

PieceDetailPrice
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (87.4 grams) 87.4 grams $ 2,185.00
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (53.6 grams) 53.6 grams $ 1,340.00
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (65.1 grams) 65.1 grams $ 1,627.50
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (60.2 grams) 60.2 grams $ 1,505.00
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (58.7 grams) 58.7 grams $ 1,467.50
Topaz from Shigar Valley, Skardu, Baltistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (53.6 grams) 53.6 grams $ 1,340.00
Every topaz here is a single pieceEach listing covers one crystal or one stone with its own photographs, weight and country of origin. Authentic material only, never replicas or casts.
Shop all 13 topaz pieces Request extra photographs

Buy the Crystal or Buy the Cut Topaz?

Buy the crystalCollectors buy topaz as a specimen and grade it on termination sharpness, face lustre and undamaged prism edges, with matrix left intact. Locality and size settle the price. Compare the wider fine minerals range before committing.
Buy the cut stoneJewellery buyers grade topaz on colour saturation and eye-clean clarity in a mounted stone, most often irradiated blue in sterling silver. Faceted and set material sits in cut gemstones and jewelry.

How to Read a Topaz Description

Basal pinacoidThe flat face capping a topaz prism, square to the long axis. Pakistani listings describe sharp complex basal pinacoid terminations, and that sharpness is the quality marker on the material.
StriationsFine grooves running lengthwise along topaz prism faces, parallel to the c-axis. They record growth and give one of the quickest ways to separate topaz from cut glass.
Imperial topazTrade name for pinkish-orange to reddish-orange topaz from Ouro Preto. It names a colour, not a separate mineral, and the species matches colourless topaz exactly.
Sherry topazThe golden to orange-brown colour dominating Pakistani and Afghan topaz. Champagne topaz names the paler end of the same range.
Irradiated blueColourless topaz irradiated and then heated to fix a blue colour, graded sky, Swiss and London. Standard practice across the gem trade, permanent, and disclosed as treatment.
Etched terminationA frosted, partly dissolved surface on a topaz crystal, cut by late fluids inside the pocket. On Ouro Preto material collectors read etching as character rather than damage.

Handling Topaz Without Opening the Cleavage

Topaz survives dust far better than it survives a knock. At Mohs 8 it outranks quartz for scratch resistance, but the basal cleavage rules out ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Wash a cut topaz in warm water with a soft brush, then dry it. Keep sherry and brown crystals clear of long direct sun, since some brown topaz pales.

Order Topaz Online

Order at the figure published, cleared by Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, Discover or Diners Club. Email customerservice@astrogallery.com or call (212) 889-9000 for extra photographs, a measurement across the termination, or a note on cleavage before you buy.

Astro Gallery of Gems has dealt in fine minerals since 1961, three generations on from founder Julio Tanjeloff, and holds stock in a 12,000 square foot gallery at 417 Fifth Avenue in New York where any topaz on this page can be seen in person. The gallery curates for collectors, interior designers and museums. Website buying carries a full refund on safe return in original condition, postmarked inside fourteen days, set out in the returns policy.

Rated everywhere we trade

4.6★849 reviews 99.5%138,000 sold 4.7★404 reviews 4.5★126 ratings #128of 1,994 4.1★119 reviews
Undecided between a crystal and a cut stoneName the colour, the budget and whether the piece goes in a case or on a hand, and the gallery replies with photographs.
Browse the topaz collection Message the gallery

Topaz Questions Answered Before You Order

How much does topaz cost?
Prices run from a set blue topaz pendant at the accessible end up to gem-grade Ouro Preto crystals at the top. The live table above lists every piece in stock against its price, and faceted material is priced separately in cut gemstones.
Is blue topaz natural or treated?
Almost all blue topaz in the trade is colourless topaz that has been irradiated and then heated. The treatment is standard, the colour permanent, and sky, Swiss and London name the depth grades. Natural blue topaz stays pale and uncommon.
How hard is topaz and will it scratch?
Topaz is Mohs 8, harder than quartz, so it resists scratching well. Its weak point is a perfect basal cleavage that splits under a sharp knock rather than under abrasion.
What is imperial topaz?
Imperial topaz is the pinkish-orange to reddish-orange topaz mined at Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is the same species as colourless topaz and the scarcest natural colour, which is why it leads the price ladder.
Where does the topaz in this collection come from?
Shigar Valley in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan supplies most of the sherry crystals, with further material from Kunar in Afghanistan and Ouro Preto in Brazil. Each listing names its country, and the wider mineral specimens range covers other pegmatite species.
Will I receive the exact crystal in the photograph?
Yes. Every topaz listing covers one physical piece photographed on its own, with weight in grams and dimensions in inches given in the description.
Can I see a topaz crystal in person before I buy?
Yes. Astro Gallery trades from a 12,000 square foot gallery at 417 Fifth Avenue in New York, and a call to (212) 889-9000 brings a specific piece out for viewing.
What if the piece is wrong when it arrives?
Website purchases are refunded in full on safe return of the piece in original condition, postmarked within 14 days of purchase. Terms sit on the returns page.

Browse Beyond Topaz

Topaz shares its pegmatite pockets with other gem species, so the next step depends on whether the crystal or the colour brought you here.

More gem colour
Loose gemstonesCut gemstonesGarnet
Topaz as a specimen
MineralsFine mineralsCrystals
Pegmatite neighbours
AquamarineTourmalineQuartz
Topaz set in silver
JewelryPendantsNecklaces
Before you order
Returns policyAbout Astro GalleryFAQsGifts