Topaz Meaning

Topaz helps us to clarify what we most want in life, whatever it is that will bring us the greatest amount of peace and joy, and then to make a plan to bring that to life. It invites us to become our True Selves and actively works to help us be successful in all of our endeavors. Unsurprisingly, it is a particularly good tool for manifestation, both for our spiritual desires as well as our earthly ones.

Topaz is created by fluorite-bearing vapors during the final stages of the crystallization of igneous rocks, especially granite and rhyolite.  It is typically a colorless gem, but trace minerals can add color.  If the color is vivid enough, it is often called an Imperial Topaz.  Originally that title was reserved for vivid orange-yellow Topaz, but today the title is also used for vivid pink gems.  By contrast, Blue Topaz is always identified by its color.

Topaz’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with Amazonite, Black Tourmaline, Fluorite, Lepidolite, Muscovite, Quartz, and Smoky Quartz

Topaz has a complex history, and is often confused with other gemstones. Prior to the modern era, the name was used primarily to describe yellow or orange colored stones, but today we know the stone comes in a rainbow of colors, both natural and heat-enhanced.  The various colors of Topaz have been explored by metaphysical healers relatively recently so there are no known myths or stories associated with them.

The name Topaz has two possible origins. It may come from an island in the Red Seas, which during the Roman era was called Topazios, but today is called Zabargad. This island was famous during the Roman Era for its Peridot mines, but did not produce any Topaz stones. The name Topazios comes from the Greek word “to guess”, likely a reference to the fact that the island is often shrouded and hidden by fog. Alternatively, it may come from the Sanskrit topas, meaning “fire.” Prior to the advent of modern mineralogy, most references to the gem described it as a golden or orange colored stone, so the fire reference makes sense.

Though Topaz is occasionally mentioned in early lapidaries, few of these texts list any healing properties which are specifically associated with the stone. It was apparently used to ward off the evil eye, and could protect a person from curses and liver trouble. During the medieval period, the lore concerning Topaz was expanded upon. It was said to cool boiling water, become invisible when in contact with poison, and cure everything from asthma and hemorrhoids to insomnia and the plague. Its powers were seemingly linked to the moon, and thus waxed and waned according to the lunar phases.

Topaz is mentioned in both the Bible and the Torah, as the second of twelve stones which decorated the breastplate of the High Priest of ancient Israel. The design for the Breastplate was given by God to Moses, whose brother Aaron was the first to wear it. Each of the gemstones on the Breastplate was inscribed with the symbol for one of the Twelves Tribes of Israel. Topaz was most likely inscribed with the Tribe of Simeon. In later Christian lore, the gems was thought to correspond to the apostle Matthew. According to Saint Hildegarde (1098-1179), a German Benedictine Abbess, writer, and philosopher, Topaz’s light is so bright that it can be used to illuminate a dark chapel, thus allowing her to read prayers. She recommended that a Topaz elixir be used to brighten dim vision and other eye ailments.

Saint Hildegard