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The purpose of the topaz lecture is two fold - firstly to introduce topaz as a gem and - secondly to cover
the issue of how the appearance of a gem is changed by irradiation.
Gem color change by irradiation is a big business, and a very important topic in gemology! Check out the
shopping channel or the display cases in department stores for that oh-so-common pale blue topaz!!
The most important method by which the color of topaz is manipulated involves irradiation of the
gemstone. This can be done in a number of ways, perhaps the use of a linear accelerator is easiest to
understand.
In the case of irradiation using a linear accelerator, the gemstone is bombarded with electrons that are
travelling really fast. The electrons penetrate the crystal and at some point hit an atom or displace an
electron from an atom or create some other kind of damage. Electrons are really small (much smaller than
an atom), so the damage that they do is of atomic proportions.
A simple example of the result of such damage is that an atom is displaced from its regular site and an
electron is trapped in the resulting "hole". This electron can absorb light energy, which causes it to
"jiggle". The energy is dissipated through the motion of the electron, so a subset of the light wavelengths
with appropriate energies is used up.
In most cases, only a small range of wavelengths = energies can be absorbed by an electron trapped on
one specific type of site, and so the visible spectrum only looses that set of wavelengths = colors. We see
the color of the remaining light (the principles of absorption and transmission should now be familiar). If
the irradiated stone has two or more types of color centers (e.g., involving electrons trapped in two or
more different types of sites) then the color will be the net result of all color centers.
In the specific case of topaz, two types of color centers (e.g., trapped electrons) are created by irradiation.
The first absorbs energy at the blue end of the spectrum, giving a yellowish / brownish color. The second
type absorbs at the red end, giving a blue color. The result = yellow-brown + blue = yakky green. This is
not popular.
It so happens that the yellow-brown color centers are much less stable than the blue color centers. In other
words, if the topaz is heated up a bit, the electrons, (displaced atom, or whatever other damage is
involved) can relocate themselves, "healing" the crystal (repairing the color-forming defect). We see the
color of the remaining light (the principles of absorption and transmission should now be familiar).
That is it. end of story. If a mistake is made and the stone is heated too hot, it will become colorless
(assuming that all color was due to color centers)! But this is no problem! The stone can simply be
irradiated again and it will turn yakky green!
COMPOSITION Al2SiO4(F,OH)2
HARDNESS 8
CRYSTAL SYSTEM ORTHORHOMBIC
COLOR Various (see below)
PLEOCHROISM Light yellow or pink
CLEAVAGE Basal
HABIT Prismatic
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 3.53
Linac (linear accelerators) are the most common tool: higher E -> darker color (+ HEAT to remove brown
tint). In the creation of "Sky blue" topaz, iradiation involves an electron beam with an energy below the
activation threshold for all impurities except sodium (half life is about 15 hours). Thus, the small
quantities of radioactive isotopes that form during electron irradiation decay away before the stones are
released from the accelerator.
The aim of the present work is to investigate the possibility of using the properties of the
thermoluminescent emission (TL) of Brazilian natural topaz for dosimetric applications. Topaz is an
aluminium fluorsilicate with general composition of Al2(SiO4)(F,OH)2 found with relative abundance in
Brazil and in other parts of the world. Topaz from Santo Antonio do Jacinto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, was
used in this work, in the form of pellets of topaz mixed with Teflon and composites made with topaz
embedded in a glass matrix. The TL sensitivity was tested between 10-4 and 104 Gy. The TL peak intensity
increases with the dose before saturation, which occurs around 2 kGy. The peak intensity showed a strong
dependence with radiation energy. The effect of visible light and the behaviour of the TL signals after
successive irradiation-reading-annealing cycles are presented and discussed.
TOURMALINE
White to Pink: Cobalt 60 Irradiation will generally push White and Pastel Pink Tourmaline to a range of
Pinks, Reds and Brownish Reds. The actual dosage will vary by locality and type of Tourmaline; however,
dosage is generally between 20-150 Megarads. Heating Reds & Pinks will cause the opposite effect and
have them go White. Carefully calibrated heating can help remove the Brown overtones in Red and Pink
Tourmaline; however, a miscalculation will have you end up with Achroite. You can always hit the
Tourmaline with Cobalt 60 but that gets costly.
EFFECTS OF ORIGIN
Afghanistan: Generally speaking, Afghan Tourmaline requires a relatively low dose to have it hit the reds
in comparison to African and Brazilian Tourmaline. I have had Afghan Tourmaline hit with 60-120
Megarads and had it go to a Brownish Red.
Lighten Dark Stones: Tourmaline generally lightens up with heat treatment. Dosages vary by locality with
certain localities producing Tourmaline unresponsive to heat treatment. Dosages vary by locality as well
as results; however, Darker blues will generally get lighter and Reds & Pinks will lighten or go to White.
Grays and Steel colored stones will generally go to a Minty Greens or Neon Blues.
Recently, a major American jewellery manufacturer who imported blue topaz checked the radioactivity levels of a rough
shipment from overseas. A good deal of the material was radioactive. "I went ballistic," he says. "This was stuff that I would
have sent to China for cutting. The cutters there already face enough danger from silicosis by breathing in quartz dust. Now I
would have added a new danger, cancer caused by radioactive topaz dust. What kind of person would put people at such risk?"
There's a possibility that the marketplace itself may settle the question of whether irradiated stones get past the gatekeepers, at
least in the case of blue topaz. If non-neutron-irradiated alternatives become available, and are marketed as safe and eco-
friendly, the irradiated product could be marginalized. Given a clear choice, the educated dealer/consumer might opt for
substitutes to neutron-irradiated stones.
I hope I haven't put you off.
All you have to do is ask, has the Blue Topaz being offered for sale been tested or is it either electron beam irradiated or
neutron bombardment irradiated, simple eh?
Just to add some fuel to the fire, how do you feel about this?
It is probably just as safe to say that most blue topaz sold in this country ( America ) has been tested and certified for safety, but
using less stringent international standards in effect in the countries where they are cut and mounted in jewellery. As one
American maker of blue topaz jewellery said: "Every piece of blue topaz jewellery in my inventory would be deemed safe for
sale throughout Europe ." How does he know? Because he has his topaz tested to meet those standards.
Okay, if stones are legally safe for sale in England or Germany , why not test them to see if they are legally safe for sale in the
United States ? His answer: "Because it is possible that stones which might be judged safe for sale in those countries might
need years of quarantine in this country before they were judged safe for sale."
So in the UK we have less stringent controls over potentially radioactive materials than America , doesn't that make you feel all
warm and fuzzy?
My suggestion, if you want Blue Topaz, buy from a trusted Source, a shop where you can discuss with well trained and
knowledgeable staff all aspects of the options available. If you want to buy from mail order, the Internet or cheap shopping
Channels then don't blame me if you can read at night with the light off.
Sleep Well
Jewellery Valuer
(1) Departamento de Física, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP. 702, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte,
Minas Gerais, Brazil
(2) Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN), Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN),
Serviço de Reator e Irradiações - TR3, CP. 941, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
(3) Universität Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
Received: 1 March 2007 Accepted: 4 April 2007 Published online: 9 May 2007
Keywords Topaz - Color - Color enhancement - Color centers - EPR - Irradiation - Small
polaron