Producing Countries: Commercially extracted Imperial Topaz comes from Ouro Preto, notably in the districts of Rodrigo Silva and Saramenha, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. There are also deposits in the Urals of Russia. In Pakistan, very light yellow and pink topaz are found, which do not get the “Imperial” designation. Therefore, Brazil is considered the only world producer of this very rare gem.

Common Shapes: The most used are oval, drop, and antique. Because it has perfect basal cleavage, care is needed during the various stages of cutting. As this is an extremely rare gem, most of it is less than 6cts. Another curiosity, due to a large number of fractures in the rough stone and its elongated crystal habbit, it is common for stones to be thinner and more elongated than usual compared to other gemstones.

Usual Treatment: Imperial Topaz is rarely treated. However, the orange-brown or peach material can be heat-treated, producing a pinkish-purple or pure pink color, depending on the temperature. Irradiation treatment is not stable and therefore not commercially available.