Do you have a ring that has a blue centre stone and are confused whether it is aquamarine or blue topaz? Most of the time, it is really hard to tell the difference. Aquamarine and Topaz are actually two different types of gems, but their hues can overlap due to which they are often confused with each other.
Here are some of the ways to find out the difference between these stones:
1. Aquamarine is the blue to blue-green variety of Beryl. Beryl and topaz are actually two different minerals. Beryl belongs to the hexagonal crystal family while topaz belongs to the orthorhombic crystal.
2. Aquamarine has the color of light blue to blue-green while topaz is a gem of all colors that comes in orange, sky blue, pink, light or deep blue, blue green, green, transparent, light violet and white.
3. A Topaz feels much heavier than an Aquamarine of equal size.
4. Color of aquamarine fades in sunlight, but returns to its original shade when kept at cooler place. Whereas the color of topaz do not really fade. Aquamarine basically has blue shades while topaz comes in different colors.
5. Another way to tell the difference between Blue Topaz and Aquamarine is Refraction. Aquamarine is less refractive than topaz and will not show double refraction lines as strong as Blue Topaz. Blue Topaz is doubly refractive and will show stronger refraction lines than Aquamarine.
6. Blue topaz jewelry is a stunning and cost-effective option for lovers of blue gemstones as compared to aquamarine. This is because blue topaz is more common as the color is produced by treating colorless topaz with radiation. Aquamarine is more rare in nature. Hence a little expensive.
1. Aquamarine is the blue to blue-green variety of Beryl. Beryl and topaz are actually two different minerals. Beryl belongs to the hexagonal crystal family while topaz belongs to the orthorhombic crystal.
2. Aquamarine has the color of light blue to blue-green while topaz is a gem of all colors that comes in orange, sky blue, pink, light or deep blue, blue green, green, transparent, light violet and white.
3. A Topaz feels much heavier than an Aquamarine of equal size.
4. Color of aquamarine fades in sunlight, but returns to its original shade when kept at cooler place. Whereas the color of topaz do not really fade. Aquamarine basically has blue shades while topaz comes in different colors.
5. Another way to tell the difference between Blue Topaz and Aquamarine is Refraction. Aquamarine is less refractive than topaz and will not show double refraction lines as strong as Blue Topaz. Blue Topaz is doubly refractive and will show stronger refraction lines than Aquamarine.
6. Blue topaz jewelry is a stunning and cost-effective option for lovers of blue gemstones as compared to aquamarine. This is because blue topaz is more common as the color is produced by treating colorless topaz with radiation. Aquamarine is more rare in nature. Hence a little expensive.