Topaz Troubles - Jewelry Industry Investigating Radiation Problems in Imported Topaz

Just in time for holiday inventory ordering, the jewelry industry is battling consumer confidence in the popular gemstone, topaz. Fading or unstable color in warm toned topaz (reddish to pinkish brown shades) and fears of residual radiation plague the blue topaz jewelry industry. Regarding the warmer shades of topaz, according to Jewelers' Circular Keystone (JCKonline.com on 7/20/2007), eBay buyers in particular should look for topaz only from very reputable sellers, as unstable (gems lose color when exposed to direct sunlight) topaz in various colors are turning up in the marketplace.

So far the reddish to pink-brown topaz has been found in Thailand, though the source of the stones is not clear from reports, Jeffrey Bergman, a gemstone expert in Thailand told members of the jewelry industry (see JCKonline, 7/20/07). Topaz generally comes from Brazil, Burma, Sri Lanka, Russia, Pakistan, Mexico and Nigeria (refer to International Colored Gemstone Association's website at Gemstone.org.)

In the case of blue topaz, the raw gems are usually treated with heat and radiation to create the highly popular blue topaz. Blue topaz is irradiated in nuclear reactors and allowed to "cool" and become safe to handle. It is that process that caused questions of safety to (briefly) rise as well, though those fears turned out to be unfounded (from Gary Roskin, JCKOnline.com, 7/18/07.)

Imported blue topaz is tested by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee informed retail jewelers that some of their blue topaz may not have been adequately tested (release date: 7/19/2007 on JVClegal.org.) Though there is no NRC-regulated testing blue topaz at this time, some independent jewelers are testing the gems themselves.

According to the National Jeweler Network, jewelry manufacturer Stuller Inc., some retail chains and a few department stores are considering (or already are) removing blue topaz jewelry from their shelves while the NRC continues to increase enforcement of regulations and testing of irradiated gems (see Stuller press release onStuller.com.) The focus of the investigations so far have centered on darker shades of blue topaz (that are neutron irradiated) such as Swiss and London. Sky Blue topaz is "electron irradiated" and is not included. The NRC told sources at Colored-stone.com (see site for details) that they (NRC) are waiting on more lab results from existing inventories to give the all clear for continued blue topaz sales.

It's important to note this is a regulatory issue only - not a public health risk issue, sources from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. Radiation levels in tested gemstones were well below the NRC's limits. According to the AGTA (the American Gem Trade Association) in its white paper released July 27, 2007, there have been no health-related reports and there's no reason to believe any irradiated gem poses a health risk. The AGTA is working on finding ways to assess the levels of radioactivity in current inventories as well as clarifying import regulations for the future. The industry is already preparing for new regulations to go into affect this year and next. How these regulations will affect costs (to manufacturers and, ultimately, to the consumers) remains to be seen. AGTA would like to ensure that the industry still has access to international supplies of the gems, to meet the demands of the jewelry market (see AGTA.org for 7/26/07.)

Locally, Ben Bridge has pulled its blue topaz stock, but 4 other Austin area jewelers, Benold's, Calvin's Fine Jewelry, Gem Depot, and C. Kirk Root (which does its own radiation testing) have left their blue topaz jewelry on the shelves. Of all the stores contacted only the representative from Ben Bridge had thorough knowledge of the regulatory situation and spoke very reassuringly about the future availability of blue topaz jewelry. The representative at C. Kirk Root Jewelry knew about the situation enough to explain that they did their own testing but told me that he "didn't know how to explain the situation" to me any further. The other stores had heard nothing about blue topaz coming under regulatory scrutiny.

So, if you're on the market for blue topaz there is still a large selection to be had. Diffused topaz (which acquires its blue color in a different process) is an excellent alternative. Many consumers are also looking into topaz mined in Pikes Peak, Colorado, Thomas Range, Utah, and Mason County, Texas, all regions famous for topaz mining and production. (Examples of Texas topaz are available at Lonestarjewelry.com.)