A natural topaz of 17.30 carats, about 19.01 ratti, at Rs. 34,600 – Rs. 2,000 per carat. The second largest stone in this category.

How topaz is priced, and why the rate here is flat

Since this listing is about price, here is the whole of it.

Topaz is not a rare mineral. Large, clean, colourless topaz is common enough that the gem trade treats it as raw material rather than as a prize, which is why a seventeen carat stone costs what it does. What you pay for is colour, cut and size, roughly in that order.

Across the seventeen stones in this category our rate runs from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 4,179 per carat. Five stones, this one among them, sit at exactly Rs. 2,000 – a flat rate rather than a stone-by-stone judgement. We would rather tell you that than pretend each figure is finely calculated.

What is recorded for this stone

Its colour is recorded as grey, and measured across the photograph only about 2% of its face reads as blue while roughly 37% reads as near-colourless. In the hand this is a very pale stone with a faint green-grey cast, not a blue one. That is an honest description of a large, bright, inexpensive gem, and it is the opposite of what its old title implied.

About the name "sunehla"

This listing used to be called Natural Topaz (Sunehla). Sunehla means yellow topaz, and buyers asking for sunehla are usually asking for the golden stone worn for Jupiter. This stone is not yellow, and neither is any other stone in this category: measured across all seventeen, the yellow share peaks at 2.46%. The name has been corrected rather than left to mislead. If it is genuinely sunehla you want, ask us and we will tell you what we have.

Treatment

Colourless and pale topaz like this is generally sold as it comes, but blue topaz is almost always irradiated and then heated – natural blue topaz is rare and faint, and effectively all of the blue on the market starts as a colourless stone. That is standard, stable and permanent, and it is worth knowing in a category where most of the other stones are blue. For this stone the treatment has not been tested and there is no laboratory report.

Mohs 8, and the thing hardness does not tell you

Topaz is 8 on the Mohs scale, harder than quartz and harder than most things that will scratch it. But it has perfect basal cleavage: a single plane across the stone along which a sharp knock will split it cleanly, however hard it is. People who hear "8" assume topaz is tough. In that one respect it is not.

So: a bezel rather than claws on anything worn on the hand, no ultrasonic cleaner, and no sudden temperature change. Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush.

Ordering

One stone, sold once. Message us on WhatsApp for more photographs or a video, and we deliver across Pakistan.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural topaz, known in Urdu as Sunehla, with a weight of 17.3 Carat. Its price is Rs. 34,600 — roughly Rs. 2,000 for each carat. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-000493 when you message us about it. The photographs show this exact stone, so what arrives at your door is the piece you chose on screen.

Above twelve carats you are into collector territory. Pieces this heavy are usually set as pendants or kept loose, and they are prized for the size of rough they came from. If you do set it, choose a bezel or a heavy claw to protect the edges.

On the Mohs scale topaz rates 8. Few materials will scratch it, so it copes well with everyday ring wear. A soak in warm water with a drop of mild soap and a soft brush keeps it bright; skip the ultrasonic cleaner if inclusions reach the surface.

Whoever you buy topaz from, make sure of three things: the stone is natural rather than lab-grown, glass or glass-filled; any treatment is stated in writing; and the weight quoted is the weight of the finished stone. We check every topaz for those three points before it is listed, a certificate is available on request, and because you pay on delivery you can look at the stone — or have it tested — before any money changes hands.

We sell natural stones only and inspect each one before it is listed. Treatment for this stone: Treatment not tested. Certificate available on request. As general background (not a statement about this stone): Yellow and golden topaz is usually untreated, though some colours are produced by heating. Ask us on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we know about this exact stone; independent lab testing is available on request.

A certificate of authenticity is available on request for this stone, and independent laboratory testing can be arranged. Because you pay on delivery, you can also take the stone to a lab of your choice within the 7-day return window. Read more on our authenticity page.