November's Kiri list one
Topaz For Happiness
By ASHTON CHAPMAN
The beautiful sparkling topaz, birth-
stone for November, has long been
regarded as symbolic of enduring
friendship and happiness. It was once
believed that a topaz would drive away
sadness, strengthen the intellect and
bestow courage upon the wearer.
Topaz was also credited by the an¬
cients with the power to dispel en¬
chantments.
To this gem was also attributed the
ability to relieve all types of eye
trouble, it being believed necessary
only to bathe the eyes with wine in
which a topaz had been steeped for
three days and nights.
A pulverized topaz mixed with wine
was regarded as a certain — if rather
expensive — remedy for asthma and
insomnia. Sleeping with a topaz un¬
der one's pillow or on a chain about
one’s neck was supposed to stall off
bad dreams and nightmares.
The name is from the Greek "to-
pazion" and there's some doubt
whether this word was derived from
the island of Topazas in the Red Sea,
where many fine topazes arc still
found, or the island was named for
the gems. Some etymologists claim the
word is connected with the Sanskirt
"tapas" (heat).
Topazes are also found on the is¬
land of Ceylon, in Saxony. Bohemia.
Scotland and Brazil. In addition to
North Carolina, topazes arc found in
this country in California. Utah, Colo¬
rado. New Hampshire and Maine.
Topaz is known to mineralogists as
an aluminum fluosilicatc which crys-
talizcs in the orthorhombic system and
has a vitreous lustre. It occurs in
gneiss or granite in association with
beryl, mica, tourmaline and other min¬
erals such as apatite, cassitcrite and
flouritc and also in certain talcosc
rocks, mica slate, rhyolite and in al¬
luvial deposits and drift.
The Mineral Resources Division of
the N. C. Department of Conserva¬
tion and Development reported some
time ago that the most extensive oc¬
currence of topaz in Tarhcclia is on
Bowlings Mountain near Stem, in
Granville County. "Massive topaz is
scattered over much of the mountain
but is most abundant along the eastern
and northeastern slopes adjacent to
the quartzitic footwall. . . . Outcrops in
the area are rare, but in recent road
cuts along the northern end of the
mountain, topaz is exposed as a scries
of narrow, irregular, vein-like masses
of scricitic schist.”
Topaz has also been reported found
at Hillsboro in Orange County and
the Staley Mine near Staley in Ran¬
dolph County.
Topaz seems particularly appropri¬
ate as the birthstonc for November be¬
cause of the golden and russet foliage
the trees flaunt in that month. The
most popular topaz gems are a rich
orange yellow, somewhat resembling
the color of sherry wine.
However, topaz occurs in practically
every hue. Some crystals arc colorless;
others may be green, blue, red, pink
or brown.
Purchasers should be aware of vari¬
ous trade names under which other
minerals have sometimes been sold as
genuine topazes. Among these are
"Spanish" or "smoky topaz," which is
in reality smoky quartz, though such
stones, when cut with multiple facets,
make interesting jewels. Smoky quartz
is of rather common occurrence in
North Carolina compared with real
topaz. The citrine variety of quartz
has been sold as “yellow topaz." Pink
or rose quartz has been sold under the
name "burnt topaz." Yellow sapphire,
a form of corundum, has been mar¬
keted as "Occidental topaz."
Because of their hardness and bril¬
liance. multi-faceted colorless or
"white" topazes arc difficult to dis¬
tinguish from real diamonds. Even the
experts can sometimes be fooled. The
world-famous so-called Braganza "dia¬
mond," which came from Brazil and
weighs 1.680 carats, was for many
years considered the most important
single item among the crown jewels of
Portugal. But it was found to be in
reality a colorless topaz.
However, through present - day
knowledge, genuine topaz gems may
be readily identified. If one of them is
rubbed or slightly warmed it can gen¬
erate enough electricity to pick up bits
of paper, which quartz or sapphire will
not do.
In the Mohs scale of comparative
hardness topaz stands at 8, being ex¬
ceeded in hardness only by rubies, sap¬
phires and diamonds. However, topaz
gems have an easily developed cleav¬
age and when worn as jewelry care
should be exercised to avoid knocking
them against a hard surface, because
they may split along the plane of
cleavage as neatly as if they had been
cut in two by a lapidary’s saw.
OAK RIDGE
MILITARY INSTITUTE
Founded 1852
Grades 8-12
Postgraduate
R. 0. T. C.
For Literoture Address
Director of Admissions
Oak Ridge Military Institute
Ook Ridge, N. C.
12
THE STATE. NOVCMDCR 1, 1966