More color confusion

[James Smith]

Topaz is colorless, but as with many colorless
minerals, impurities can result in a variety of
colors: "yellow, light shades of grey, green, red or
blue", (Deer, Howie, and Zussman, 1966, An
Introduction to the Rock-forming Minerals)

However, it is likely that the gem you received is a
colored variety of quartz, not topaz; in the very
confusing (deceptive?) world of commercial jewelry,
what a stone is called, especially a colored
semi-precious stone, has more to do with appearance
than mineralogy.  It is rare to find genuine topaz in
jewelry; although it is harder than quartz, it is
easily cleaved or broken.




--- Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> My wife says the color "topaz" is a dark yellow, and
> OED shows she's right.  The color name has been in
> use for at least a century.
>
>   However, when she recently ordered a fashion item
> in "topaz" from a well-known catalogue, the item was
> a light blue, very close to turquoise.  But
> "turquoise" was an alternative color choice in that
> very same catalogue!
>
>   Customer relations patiently explained that
> "topaz" really is light blue but no green as
> turquoise.  Proof?  The manufacturer has indeed
> designated the light-blue color as "topaz."
>   And the OED definition, which was read to them,
> counts for nada. So: credit but no free return
> shipping.
>
>   As a guy, I don't know "topaz."  It's a kinda
> rock, isn't it?  Could be any color. Probably gray.
>
>   JL
>
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James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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