Topaz or Zircon?

[nwphew]

I purchased this stone as a Zircon, but have been told by 3 different jewelers that its a Topaz. From the looks of the photo, is it a Zircon or Topaz?

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

None of us will say what it is by a photo. Send it to a lab to get it verified or to an independent gemologist appraiser.

 

[jewelz617]

I''m just here to agree with above comment

 

[chrono]

It can be either. There’s no way to tell with any surety without any testing.

 

[VapidLapid]

Yup. I can say that I just can''t say.

 

[zeolite]

Zircons have vastly higher birefringence than topaz. You can see this by examing the blue gem with a 10X loupe. Be sure to examine it in all directions, since the birefringence of zircon varies from strong to weak depending on what angle that you view it.

Go to a jewelry store or to some friend with a known true topaz. Each back facet of the gem will be doubled and will be parallel when viewed at 10X. If the doubled facets are very close to each other, it is topaz. If they are VERY widely spaced, it is zircon. It is very easy, for even an untrained person to see this, if you have a known blue topaz for comparison.

 

[colormyworld]

Zircon will also show a LOT more dispersion that topaz. If in strong light you see rainbow flashes of color like a diamond it is not topaz.