SolitaireEngagementRing

Precious topaz, something of a rarity today, is recognizable, when yellow-gold, honey-yellow or deep sherry. It also comes in other colours, all of them beautifully described by Oscar Wilde as "yellow as the eyes of a tiger, topazes as pink as the eyes of a wood pigeon, and green topazes that are as the eyes of a cat": an excellent example of how colour can be caught and held by words.
As there is such a bewildering array of gemstone colours, it is difficult to recall them at will. Finding and remembering corresponding colours in living nature can ease this task and even heighten the enjoyment of unfamiliar stones.
For example, there is Labradorite, which belongs to the same group as Moonstone and is basically dark grey with flashes of green and blue, due to the play of light. A similarity can be drawn to the irridescence seen on the wings of some butterflies. In contrast there is the fresh apple green of Chrysoprase which looks its best in a necklace of beads. A number of these appetising gemstones need to be worn in order to show them off to their best advantage.