Good day dear Hive Community, first of all I would like to welcome you all to my new post and hope you have a good start to the new week! Today I would like to bring you a mineral a little closer and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.
Here you can see photos of different specimens of the mineral Topaz, which can be found worldwide and can also be counted in the mineral class of silicates and germanates. The origin of the name leaves many questions unanswered and is not exactly clarified but a guess is that it is associated with the ancient island of Topazos in the Red Sea which is now known as the name Zabargad and another guess is that the name derives from well-known Sanskrit word tapas for luminous. Historically, the topaz is deeply anchored and has already been appreciated by many ancient cultures and the first ones who used topaz to produce jewelry from it were probably the Egyptians and when used as jewelry, it is nowadays often manipulated by the industry and the color is artificially changed by gamma rays. It has also been mentioned by the Roman scholar Pliny the elder and it also has a important place in Greek mythology and is associated there with the god of light and healing Apollo, who is said to have carried the mineral with him. In general, topaz was mostly associated with the divine and it was associated with passion at the time and in ancient Egypt it was also associated with the sun god Ra.
The mineral also appears in African mythology and was used as a way to come into contact with the beyond and it was also considered an important mineral when it comes to healing properties. In the Middle Ages, it was also often used and incorporated as a gemstone in various things such as crowns or sceptres, and topaz was also of great importance among the old goldsmiths. Topaz was also often revered as a mystical stone which can have some abilities such as improving eyesight or activating clairvoyance and of course over time trade flourished more and more and has already fascinated humanity since ancient times. In the Middle Ages, yellow minerals were often generally referred to as topaz and the colors are very diverse and in addition to yellow, there are also blue, pink, violet or red specimens and the influence of the colors can depend on various factors such as admixtures. The formation of topaz can be traced back to volcanic activities and the most important places of discovery include Cornwall, Mexico, USA, Norway, Pakistan or Japan.
Topaz is mainly used for the production of jewelry and also as an additive for the production of porcelain, it is used from time to time and from a symbolic point of view, it is often associated with happiness, self-discovery and positive thoughts and it is also associated with the zodiac signs Scorpio, Leo and Sagittarius. It is also interesting for the production of various works of art and here it is of particular interest due to the diverse colors and as before mentioned it is also used as a healing stone. As a healing stone, the field of application is very large and it can help to strengthen the immune system and from a spiritual point of view and it is important for meditative purposes and can have a positive effect on the chakra system, the pineal gland or the psychic abilities. As always, it is important to mention here that minerals are alternative medicine and in case of illness you should always ask your doctor for the right medicine!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about minerals! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!
