the.com/topaz

a crystal so honest it cracks if you look at it wrong.

means A precious gemstone, typically golden-yellow but found in blue, pink, and clear varieties, prized for its hardness and clarity.

from From Greek 'topazos,' the name of a stone said by ancient writers to come from an island in the Red Sea called Topazos — though that island's gem was likely what we now call peridot, not modern topaz. The Greek name may trace back even further, possibly to Sanskrit 'tapas,' meaning heat or fire. So the word arrived attached to one stone and quietly slipped onto another over the centuries.

cleavage
splits perfectly along one plane, fragile diva of gems
color shift
most blue topaz was irradiated from colorless stone
hardness 8
scratches almost everything but bows to corundum
giant crystals
some specimens weigh hundreds of pounds intact
name origin
likely from a foggy Red Sea island, Topazios
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