Topaz is a colorless, blue, yellow, brown, or pink aluminum silicate mineral, often found in association with granitic rocks and valued as a gemstone, especially in the brown and pink varieties. Under suitable conditions, topaz grows into enormous crystals. It derives its name from the sanskrit word tapas, meaning fire. According to another theory topaz derives its name from the Island of Topazos, in the Red Sea, where the Romans obtained a stone which they called by this name, but which was the modern chrysolite or peridot.
