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Folklore has it that topaz possesses magical properties. The Greeks thought it made the wearer invisible, the Romans thought it cured poor eyesight, and the Egyptians believed it drove away evil. Imperial ruby topaz is the rarest and most expensive variety. The name refers to a tradition in the Ural Mountains of Russia, where the stone was originally mined: shades of pink, red, and orange were reserved for the family of the Czar. The world's largest and most flawless, gem-grade Imperial ruby topaz resides in The Field Museum's Grainger Hall of Gems exhibition. It weighs a whopping 97.45 carats! The stone was mined in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and came to the Museum in 1931, courtesy of R.T. Crane, a relative of one of the Museum's founders. In 2008, famed Chicago jeweler Lester Lampert designed and fashioned the gem's rose-gold setting and christened it "Blaze."

Details

  • Title: Imperial Ruby Topaz
  • Type: Specimen
  • Contributor: John Weinstein : The Field Museum of Natural History
  • Rights: (c) Field Museum of Natural History - CC BY-NC

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