Education
Diamond Education
- Diamond 4 C's
- Diamond Buying Guide
- Answers to 1 Carat Diamond Questions
- Your Guide to Buying a Diamond Online
- How to Pick the Right Diamond
- Diamond Buying Mistakes
- Real vs. Fake Diamonds
- Lab Diamond Buying Guide
- 10 Most FAQ - Diamonds
- Off Size Diamonds Guide
- Popular Diamond Cuts
- Price of a 2 Carat Diamond
- Top FAQ - Lab Diamonds
- What Is the Average Diamond Size in Engagement Rings?
- Diamond Carat
- Diamond Certification
- Diamond Clarity
- IF Diamonds
- FL Diamonds
- Diamond Inclusions Guide
- Flawless vs Internally Flawless
- Which Diamond Clarity Is Best?
- VS2 vs VS1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- VVS2 vs VVS1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- SI2 vs SI1: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- SI1 vs VS2: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- VS1 vs VVS2: Diamond Clarity Comparison
- Accent Diamond Clarity
- Lab Diamond Clarity
- SI Diamonds
- VS Diamonds
- VVS Diamonds
- Diamond Color
- Diamond Culet
- Diamond Cut
- Diamond Cut Types
- Ideal Cut Diamonds
- Hearts and Arrows Diamonds
- What is Diamond Depth
- Diamond Table
- Lab Diamond Cut
- Antique Cut Diamonds
- Brilliant Cut Diamonds
- Rose Cut Diamonds
- What Is The Most Expensive Diamond Cut?
- What Are Step Cut Diamonds?
- Diamond Bow Ties
- How Are Diamonds Cut
- Diamond Brilliance
- Spread Diamonds
- Diamond Fire
- Crushed Ice Diamonds
- Diamond Fluorescence
- How Diamonds Are Formed
- Diamond Girdle
- Diamond Polish
- Diamond Pricing
- Diamond Shape
- Lab Diamond Shape
- Asscher
- Cushion
- Emerald
- Marquise
- Oval
- Pear
- Princess
- Radiant
- Round
- Which Diamond Cut Is Best?
- Round vs Princess Diamond Cut
- Round vs Cushion Diamond Cut
- Cushion vs Princess Diamonds
- Cushion vs Oval Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Asscher Cut Diamond
- Princess vs Marquis Diamonds
- Princess vs Radiant Cut Diamonds
- Cushion vs Asscher Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Radiant Cut Diamonds
- Oval vs Marquise Cut Diamonds
- Oval vs Pear Cut Diamonds
- Pear vs Marquise Cut Diamonds
- Emerald vs Cushion Cut Diamonds
- Elongated Cushion Cut Diamonds
- Diamond Size Chart Carat & MM
- Diamond Sourcing
- Diamond Symmetry
- Engraved Rings
- Fancy Colored Diamonds
- History Of Lab Grown Diamonds
- Loose Diamonds
- Natural vs Synthetic Diamonds
- NY Diamond District
Engagement Ring Education
- How To Buy Engagement Rings
- Affordable Engagement Rings
- Cost of a One Carat Diamond
- How To Buy A Lab Diamond Ring
- How to Buy An Engagement Ring In a Time Crunch
- How to Choose An Engagement Ring
- How to Pick Your Engagement Ring Budget
- Engagement Rings For Second Marriage
- Best Time to Buy An Engagement Ring
- How to Buy An Engagement Ring As a Couple
- Everything You Need to Know About Dainty Engagement Rings
- Future Mother In Law's Guide to Engagement Ring Shopping
- Engagement Ring Financing
- Why You Need an Engagement Ring Appraisal
- Best Round Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Square Cut Engagement Ring
- Top Teardrop Engagement Rings
- Best Asscher Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Oval Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Radiant Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Marquise Cut Engagement Rings
- Twisting Rings
- Best Emerald Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Best Dainty Engagement Rings
- Best Unique Engagement Rings
- Best Traditional Diamond Engagement Rings
- Best Split Shank Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top 10 Square Halo Engagement Rings
- Top 10 Unusual Engagement Rings
- Black Diamond Engagement Rings
- Edwardian Engagement Rings
- Antique Style Engagement Rings
- Nature Inspired Engagement Ring
- Filigree Rings
- Art Deco Rings
- Wide Band Engagement Rings
- Infinity Engagement Rings
- Best Two Tone Diamond Engagement Rings
- Victorian Style Engagement Rings
- Minimalistic Engagement Rings
- Big Style Engagement Rings
- Cute Style Engagement Rings
- Modern Style Engagement Rings
- Past Present and Future Rings
- Most Expensive Celebrity Engagement Rings
- Noteworthy Celebrity Engagements (and Rings) of 2017
- Thin Engagement Rings
- Pretty Style Engagement Rings
- Double Band Engagement Rings
- 1 Carat Diamond Ring
- Top Princess Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Women's Rose Gold Engagement Rings
- Top Round Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top East West Engagement Rings
- Top Pave Engagement Rings
- Top Split Shank Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Unique Halo Engagement Rings
- Rose Gold Pear Shaped Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Pear Shaped Engagement Rings
- Top Oval Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Engagement Rings
- Top Marquise Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Emerald Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Bypass Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Oval Engagement Rings
- Top Emerald Cut Halo Engagement Rings
- Top Yellow Gold Oval Engagement Rings
- Top Rose Gold Emerald Cut Engagement Rings
- Top Oval Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Floating Diamond Engagement Rings
- Top Cushion Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Princess Cut Three Stone Engagement Rings
- Top Simple Engagement Rings
- Vintage Style Engagement Rings
- Types of Accent Diamonds
- Everything You Need to Know Before Setting Diamonds
- Engagement Ring Prong Guide
- All About Ring Resizing
- Identifying Your Ring After A Repair
- Everything You Need to Know About Milgrain
- Everything You Need to Know About Wide Band Engagement Rings
- Eternity Rings vs Infinity Rings
- When To Propose
- What Are Baguette Diamond Engagement Rings
- What to Say When You Propose
- What Are the Groom's Parents Responsible For?
Gemstone Education
Jewelry Education
- Jewelry Buying Guide
- How To Buy Jewelry Online
- Diamond: 10th Anniversary Gifts
- Ruby: 40th Anniversary Gemstone & Jewelry
- Sapphire: 5th Anniversary Gemstone & Jewelry
- Top 10 Sapphire Earrings
- Emerald: 20th Anniversary Gemstone & Jewelry
- Top 10 Push Presents
- How To Shop For Christmas Jewelry Gifts
- How To Buy An Anniversary Band
Metal Education
London Blue Topaz Clarity
Those of us who, like so many consumers these days, have fallen in love with the color of London Blue Topaz naturally want to ensure they know what they’re buying. While color is the hallmark of this gemstone, ensuring the London Blue designation falls within a narrow band, clarity can vary quite a bit more. To help you make an informed decision when making a London Blue Topaz jewelry purchase, we’ve assembled this guide to the most important aspect of its value: clarity.
What is London Blue Topaz?
By definition, London Blue Topaz is topaz stone that has a specific medium blue color. It’s darker than aquamarine or Swiss Blue Topaz, but lighter than what we normally look for in a blue sapphire. Topaz itself is a fluorinated aluminum silicate, and has a Mohs hardness of 8. This makes it harder than quartz, but not as hard as corundum (e.g. sapphire or ruby) or diamonds. It often occurs with quartz crystals.
London Blue Color & Treatment
Although there is some blue topaz in nature, it is rare. When naturally blue topaz occurs, it is light in color. London Blue Topaz is generally brown or colorless material that’s been irradiated and then heat treated to obtain the dark blue, which does not occur in nature. Fortunately, this is a permanent color change, so you don’t have to worry about the color fading over time. While irradiation is less common, most colored gemstones sold today are heat treated. In addition to helping produce the blue color, heating improves the clarity of the stone. While synthetic London Blue Topaz is available, at With Clarity we only sell mined topaz that is treated.
Gemstone Clarity
After cutting, a finished gemstone is assigned a clarity grade before being set into London Blue Topaz jewelry. This means that topaz which is heat treated and/or irradiated often scores higher on the London Blue Topaz clarity scale, increasing its value. However, as a rule, most topaz is already eye clean, making it what the GIA calls a “type 1” gemstone.
There are basically four quality grades of natural topaz: AAAA, AAA, AA, B. According to the most commonly used scale, AAAA grade topaz has a vibrant natural color and so clear of inclusions that it’s hard to see them under magnification if they’re there at all.
However, London Blue Topaz is not a natural color, but enhanced. The highest grade of London blue topaz is AAA, which denotes either enhanced color or that the hue is less intense than AAAA. Inclusions might be easier to see under magnification, as well. AA or even B is the lowest quality used by independent jewelers, and this material tends to have muted colors and inclusions that are clearly visible under magnification. At With Clarity, we set our London Blue Topaz engagement rings with AAA-grade stones.

How Cut Influences Clarity
Before any gemstone is set into jewelry, it is cut and polished. While the size of a gemstone is important to its selling price, for most gemstones clarity is very important. To maximize its place on the London Blue Topaz clarity scale, rough topaz is cut in such a way that most of the inclusions are removed from the finished product.
If a gem cutter is skilled, this can be done effectively without wasting too much of the rough stone. Remember, the topaz clarity review is performed on the finished product, not the rough version of the gem. Besides the removal of inclusions, gem cutters aim for a specific shape or style of cut when fashioning a gem from the rough. Here are the types of cuts frequently seen in London Blue Topaz:
Step Cuts:
These are the type of cut where rectangular and square facets predominate. The facets are lined up parallel to each other, allowing a "hall of mirrors" effect. With step cuts, there isn’t much sparkle, and inclusions are much harder to hide. However, the gorgeous color of London Blue Topaz is heightened by the facets. Most popular among the step cuts is the emerald cut. This rectangular-shaped stone is shown off beautifully as a London Blue Topaz rose gold ring Other examples include the asscher cut (square) and baguette (thin rectangle).

Brilliant Cuts:
These are so named because they have many facets intended to give more brilliance to a gem. These facets allow light to reflect back at the person viewing the stone, and they can be placed in such a way that the stone is curved. Most of the facets are kites or triangles. By far the most popular brilliant cut is the round cut. If that’s your taste, consider a round London Blue Topaz engagement ring. Other brilliants include oval, marquise (pointed oval), pear, princess (square), and heart.

Cabochons:
Usually chosen for London Blue Topaz that has inclusions but a deep blue color. This is the oldest type of gem cutting, and cabochons are usually round or oval stones with a smooth, polished top. This often creates a beautiful gem, because the deep blue color hides many of the inclusions.

Types of Inclusions
While London Blue Topaz doesn’t usually have inclusions in faceted stones, they still can in their rough forms. Here are the more common types of topaz inclusions.
Crystals:
Sometimes a topaz crystal will run into a tiny crystal of another mineral type during formation. These usually look like small specks, though they could be larger.

Needles:
These are tiny, fiber-like inclusions that look like needles. Technically they are also crystal inclusions, but look different from the ones above.

Twinning:
What happens when two large topaz crystals grow together. It looks like parallel cracks where the edges of the two crystals run together.
Cleavage Fault:
Really a crack in the stone, not a foreign object. Because they’re brittle, this is also common in topaz.

London Blue Topaz at With Clarity
Do you want a London Blue Topaz ring in white gold? We have a wide variety of them available in our store, with prices ranging between $400 and $2,000. They can all be set in yellow, rose, or white gold. We can also make a custom creation if you don’t find the perfect ring for your taste. Give us a call if you have any questions. Contact us by phone at 1(844)-234-6463 or email at [email protected]. Our Live Chat is available during business hours Monday - Friday 10AM - 6PM ET.