Topaz is very often confused with another similarly golden-yellow gemstone called citrine. Its name comes from an ancient term of the Greeks, "topazios," meaning to guess. Topaz was, as the legend holds, a foreteller of the future. It promoted harmony and compatibility, as well as the enhancement of sexual energy. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs Scale and is indeed a most wearable and durable stone. It is much rarer than its citrine counterpart and we call it Imperial, Precious or Golden Topaz to distinguish color shade and quality. It is very expensive in the larger sizes over 4 carats. Topaz comes to the world gem markets from Brazil, Africa, Sri Lanka and the United States.
Citrine, a French word for lemon, is another yellowish - golden stone representing November as its birthstone. It is mined in Brazil, Bolivia and Spain. It has a hardness of 7 and is not topaz, but quartz. It gets its color from iron deposits and heat treatments. It is also a wonderful stone for wearability and strength, requiring minimum care. It was believed by the ancients to enhance spirituality and build stamina and consistency. It is often incorrectly called citrine topaz, quartz topaz, topaz quartz or Madeira topaz. Both topaz and citrine are often misrepresented and are the most confused gemstones in the industry, because of their similar colorings. Citrine is a very interesting substance that can come in many shades from the very deep dark yellow brown of smoky quartz (often misrepresented as "smoky topaz") to the very deep yellow orangish reds of Madeira citrine, mined from Madeira, Brazil.
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