Explore topaz treasures at the Perot Museum

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science has unveiled its latest exhibit, "Topaz: A Spectrum in Stone," a dazzling collection that showcases more than 100 topaz gems from around the globe.

The exhibit opens Wednesday and presents a unique opportunity to explore the natural beauty and significance of this remarkable mineral.

At the helm of this fascinating showcase is Caroline Im, the museum's director of gems and minerals.

"At the Perot, we're invited every year to exhibit at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show," Im said. "The world's largest gem and mineral show."

This year, the show’s theme was pegmatites, a type of rock formation not commonly found in Texas.

In her search to find a suitable rock for the exhibit, Im discovered a meaningful connection to the Lone Star State. "I found out that our Texas state gem is topaz," she said. "So that was just the perfect mineral to put for this exhibit."

This serendipitous discovery led to the creation of the vibrant display now captivating visitors at the Perot Museum.

Topaz, known for its durability and variety of colors, plays a significant role in the world of gemstones.

"Topaz is chosen as a gemstone quite often because it is really hard, with a hardness of 8," Im said. "So it's not quite as hard as diamond, but still really hard."

This makes it an ideal choice for jewelry and other decorative pieces.

The exhibit explores the full color spectrum of topaz, from the more common yellow and blue varieties to the rare and highly coveted Imperial Topaz.

"It actually comes in several different warm colors. So it'll be yellow, orange, with the rarest being red," Im said.

The rare red Imperial Topaz, only found in Brazil due to the presence of chromium, is particularly prized.

One of the showpieces of the exhibit is an astonishingly large topaz gem. "We have a gem that's 9,630 carats," Im said. "So it's a little bit too large for jewelry, but it's super fantastic and spectacular."

As visitors explore "Topaz: A Spectrum in Stone," they are treated to a visual feast of colors and forms, each piece telling a story of geographical origins and geological processes.

"You're gonna see a full spectrum of color. That's why it's called 'Spectrum in Stone,'" Im emphasized.

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