Everyone talks about precious stones, but do you really know how the first of them was discovered? This is not a conventional text about topaz, this is its history, and you will discover why the world chose it as the first precious stone of them all.
History of topaz
About 4000 years ago, there was a strange dark and mysterious place where only those who had the obligation, visited it. Very tenebrous, uninhabited and with a recurring shadow, the island of "Topazion" (whose name comes from the Greek "to seek") is defined by its appearance in the past as a hell on the surface. Many are the stories that develop in ancient Egypt in historical and memorable places, but few times those places are as obscure as the island of "Topazion", today known as the Island of San Juan or the island of Zabargad.
This island is part of a large group of islands located in the bay of Foul, in the red sea, south of Egypt. Its area is 4.50 km ² and is located north of the Tropic of Cancer, its highest point is 235 meters above sea level. Can you imagine a vacation there?
In spite of its darkness and the fear it generated, there was a very particular light that illuminated the whole island, and this meant for the explorers of the time an enormous mystery to be solved.
At a distance, the image of the island was very similar to when we observed from afar the illuminated fog, it was quite supernatural. Sometimes the light was yellow, other times a little more golden and even on other occasions, blue. This strange situation was one of the most curious for explorers who traveled to it in order to make new discoveries.
What perhaps nobody imagined is that this mystical light would be the projection of the oldest precious stone of all times: the topaz. When explorers were finally able to discover where the light came from, the history of this civilization and the world changed forever. This jewel was considered the mother of all precious stones, because it was the first time that the human being remained motionless in the face of such an impacting creation of nature.
There are different theories about the origin of its name, the best known is that of the Sanskrit term 'tapas', which means "color of fire", but the most popular story tells us that since the island of topazios was the first place where this stone was found, they decided to give it that name.
Due to its antiquity, topaz is one of the most expensive jewels. Each person chooses the stone that will accompany him according to his needs and the color that most enamors him; but the great personalities always choose the beautiful imperial topaz, because it is considered a symbol of status and glamour.
But what miraculous event could have occurred on the surface of the earth for which the formation of this jewel would take place?
It turns out that topaz stone usually appears in cavities and seams of granite rocks, and what causes its formation is the action of fluoride vapors emanating after the last stages of solidification of igneous rocks.
The topaz stone became a precious stone thanks to its mineral composition, and its beauty and rarity. With the passage of time, its composition could be researched in detail and today the stone is described as such:
In addition, it was discovered that this was not the only source of topaz in the world, as it can also be found in Zambia, Russia, the United States, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Brazil, Namibia and China.
The topaz stone gives glory to whoever carriesit.
The light that emanated from the island changed color frequently and this happened because from time to time, the different colors of the stone were reflected. Although it is almost always colorless, it can appear in different varieties of tones.
Topaz Colors
Blue topaz: the blue light that reflected the island was blue topaz. This color is very difficult to find naturally. Because of its great beauty, is often copied synthetically very frequently. It is the one that can be found in the most important deposits, among them England or Northern Ireland.
Topaz Champagne: It is found mainly in Mexico and it looks like a very clear and transparent brown, like the champagne drink.
Pink Topaz: The charming pink topaz is found authentically in Russia, Brazil or Pakistan, and the truth is that it is very rare. Usually these are stones in yellowish tones that when subjected to heat become a beautiful shade of pink.
Imperial topaz: the favorite of royalty and the most sought-after for jewelry, it cannot be obtained by treating any other topaz color and its most important deposit is in Brazil. Its name comes from the fact that Russian royalty considered it so beautiful and special that only they could have it.
These are the most frequent shades of the stone, however, throughout history we have been found red stones and different shades of orange that have been studied and correspond to topaz.
However, this stone has also been the object of confusion on many occasions, the best known is the history of the Braganza diamond, an epic jewel of the Portuguese crown that has accompanied royalty since 1740 when it was found in the mines of Ouro Preto. It was long believed to be the world's largest diamond, but over time it was discovered to be a topaz.
Topaz precious stone
There is no exact bibliographic record of who was that the first explorer that took a sample of this stone into his hands; but when topaz was discovered it became the stone of desire. To take it, however, one had to face a herd of snakes infesting the island. There are those who claim that their job was only to protect the stone.
The animals protected the stone because it was the last sigh of prosperity on that island, everything else was bleak. As the island grew lonelier,the light from the topaz crystal was a reflection of faith. The clarity of the stone defied the night and the darkness, so it became a symbol of loyalty and purity.
At that time, with a great number of diseases, pests and psychological affections, the Egyptians did not have ways to get out of their discomfort, so they turned all their faith in the topaz. They believed that just as it illuminated the island, it could illuminate their lives. According to history, the Egyptians were a civilization that believed that much of the energy of the earth and the sun resided in the stones; and just like the stones, they believed to have also the capacity to absorb this power. The topaz was the first of these magical amulets. They protected themselves with it because they faithfully believed that the evil of the earth and of their bodies was caused by evil spirits, so as if it were a guardian angel, they used its protection.
The greatest physical link that exists between the human being and the topaz stone is with the sense of sight, and in order to understand much better how it works it is necessary to tell the story of the person who made this discovery: Saint Hildegard of Bingen, who was a Benedictine abbess, Doctor of the Catholic Church, who used crystals and medicinal herbs to cure. Hildegardlived in a continuous process of knowledge of herself and her natural environment. She faithfully believed natural resources and humans corresponded to each other. 43 years passed and she did not leave her convent, she was happy there. During her stay, she was able to write a book where she reflected everything that the "living light of the Holy Spirit" dictated to her.
In this scripture she referred to topaz as a medicine for spiritual and physical blindness;
The recipe reads as follows:
- " You must immerse the stone in dry wine for 3 days and 3 nights."
- " With the topaz stone already soaked in wine, the eyelids should be moistened several times a day without any drop of wine penetrating the eye"
- " This procedure should be repeated as many times as deemed necessary. But every five days the wine must be renewed and the topaz stone purified just as it was done in the beginning "
When St. Hildegard wrote her book, it was very difficult for a person to access all the information she handled, so her knowledge was considered to come from God. Although this stone was already considered a sacred stone because it was the first stone of Aaron's breastplate, when the followers of the saint began to use it and see that it served them, its power spread throughout the world.
However, this is not the only way in which human beings used this stone, as healers also used to place it in the throat chakra and the solar plexus chakra for the body to absorb the powerful energy of this stone.
The topaz stone is ideal for restoring our organism and spirit, and although astrologically speaking it represents the sign of Geminis, anyone with the necessary faith can make a petition while focusing on it. Making petitions to the universe focusing on this gem allows us to drive our own thoughts and actions to go for it. It is a projection stone.
This beautiful stone is one of the favorites for royalty. In addition to its elegance, it is almost as resistant as a diamond. It is precisely its hardness, thanks to its chemical composition, that makes it perfect to adapt it to any type of jewelry: earrings, bracelets, necklaces and decoration, so the Egyptian civilization made it a symbol of the time.
And for that same reason, the imperial topaz is one of the most important stones in classical jewelry. For collectors, it is an investment that means owning a piece of land in its most beautiful version, either to keep it in its natural state or to adapt it to a piece of jewelry that can become a precious gift.
Acquiring the topaz stone to make it an amulet for personal use is certainly a magical experience. However, there is something about this stone that makes it an unforgettable gift, the reason? the truth is that it is not possible to know everything about this mineral, it is very old! but there is definitely energy and you can almost feel it. If the gift is addressed to someone who knows its story, he will be amazed and feel very special. However, if that person knows nothing about it, the gift becomes even more valuable, because you will have the opportunity to invite someone into this magical world while you make them feel strangely moved, thanks to the energy that emanates from the mineral.
If you are currently feeling well but know a loved one who is in a situation of lack of direction, giving them a topaz stone may be the best friendly hand you can offer, it is also the ideal gift for couples who are celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary.
Today, the island is part of Elba National Park and is under legal protection. However, the island was closed to the public for an entire year due to collateral damage and disturbance caused by the birds that inhabit the area. Will they try to protect some other secret, or will they be the new guardians of this jewel?
We do not know, but today thanks to the curiosity of those gentlemen, we can enjoy the spiritual company of a beautiful topaz or honor a loved one with this jewel. The topaz is not a stone for anyone so you must give it to someone who resembles it in personality. That person could be yourself .
Originally Post "Topacio: La primera piedra preciosa″
Translated by Oscar Moreno.
