Topaz: From the Mine to the Shop
Did you know that the gemstone topaz is the birthstone for November? Most topaz gems are light when mined, and then turn colourless to when exposed to light or low heat. Their value depends on the hardness and how shiny the gem is. High - quality yellow - orange topaz can cost hundreds of dollars per carat, while citrine quartz of the similar colour and close to the same quality can be sold for less than $35 per carat. There are a number of varieties of the gem, some of them being the orange topaz the blue topaz and the imperial topaz. So how does this gorgeous gem go from the mine to a jewellery store?
Topaz is mined in Australia, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, California, New Hampshire and Utah. The gem is mined in what is called surface mining. It is also mined in underground mines. There are five different types of surface mining. Strip mining, open pit mining, dredging, highwall mining and mountaintop removal mining. In most forms of surface mining, heavy equipment, such as earthmovers, moves the overburden. Then, massive machines, such as dragline excavators or bucket wheel excavators, extract the mineral. Strip mining is when a seam of the mineral is mined. First, a strip of overlying rock and soil is removed. Strip mining is the practical way to extract a mineral if the mineral is relatively near the surface.
Open pit mining is a method of extracting minerals from the earth from an open pit. Open pit mining is often confused with strip mining, but the two methods are different.
Dredging is a method of surface mining that is mostly used to collect minerals that are underwater. Dredging is also used to clear or enlarge the waterways of boats. Dredging can collect significant amounts of underwater minerals reasonably efficiently and cheaply.
Highwall mining is when a cold seam is penetrated by a continuous miner that is propelled by a hydraulic Push Beam Mechanism.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of surface mining in which explosives are used to blow the tops off some Appalachian mountains. This particular type of mining is used mostly in the Appalachian coal fields of West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, in the United States.
Once the topaz has been mined, it is polished. This gem is polished with tin laps and tin lead laps that are charged with diamond or aluminium oxide. This same method is used to polish gems like chrysoberyl, garnet, peridot, tourmaline and beryl.
There are different laps that are used for different gems. Depending on the lap used, it will produce a different result. Different laps are also used depending on how hard the gem is and what it needs to look like.
Finally, the gem is put into jewellery and sent to a jewellery store. The gem can also be sold by itself, without having been put into jewellery. The amount of work put into sending a small, but beautiful gem to the jewellery store is more than it looks.
Did you know that the gemstone topaz is the birthstone for November? Most topaz gems are light when mined, and then turn colourless to when exposed to light or low heat. Their value depends on the hardness and how shiny the gem is. High - quality yellow - orange topaz can cost hundreds of dollars per carat, while citrine quartz of the similar colour and close to the same quality can be sold for less than $35 per carat. There are a number of varieties of the gem, some of them being the orange topaz the blue topaz and the imperial topaz. So how does this gorgeous gem go from the mine to a jewellery store?
Topaz is mined in Australia, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia, Pakistan, Brazil, California, New Hampshire and Utah. The gem is mined in what is called surface mining. It is also mined in underground mines. There are five different types of surface mining. Strip mining, open pit mining, dredging, highwall mining and mountaintop removal mining. In most forms of surface mining, heavy equipment, such as earthmovers, moves the overburden. Then, massive machines, such as dragline excavators or bucket wheel excavators, extract the mineral. Strip mining is when a seam of the mineral is mined. First, a strip of overlying rock and soil is removed. Strip mining is the practical way to extract a mineral if the mineral is relatively near the surface.
Open pit mining is a method of extracting minerals from the earth from an open pit. Open pit mining is often confused with strip mining, but the two methods are different.
Dredging is a method of surface mining that is mostly used to collect minerals that are underwater. Dredging is also used to clear or enlarge the waterways of boats. Dredging can collect significant amounts of underwater minerals reasonably efficiently and cheaply.
Highwall mining is when a cold seam is penetrated by a continuous miner that is propelled by a hydraulic Push Beam Mechanism.
Mountaintop removal mining is a form of surface mining in which explosives are used to blow the tops off some Appalachian mountains. This particular type of mining is used mostly in the Appalachian coal fields of West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, in the United States.
Once the topaz has been mined, it is polished. This gem is polished with tin laps and tin lead laps that are charged with diamond or aluminium oxide. This same method is used to polish gems like chrysoberyl, garnet, peridot, tourmaline and beryl.
There are different laps that are used for different gems. Depending on the lap used, it will produce a different result. Different laps are also used depending on how hard the gem is and what it needs to look like.
Finally, the gem is put into jewellery and sent to a jewellery store. The gem can also be sold by itself, without having been put into jewellery. The amount of work put into sending a small, but beautiful gem to the jewellery store is more than it looks.