126 A Book of Precious Stones
golden
yellow tinted variety from Brazil is the kind distinguished in the
jewelry trade as " Brazilian topaz." Schneckenstein, near Got-tesberg,
in the vicinity of Auerbach, Voigtland, Kingdom of Saxony, is said, by
Dr. Max Bauer, to be the most important European locality producing
topaz; it is there imbedded in a steep wall of rock, and occurs in
small fragments of schists rich in tourmaline, cemented firmly into a
hard mass by quartz and topaz. Brazil is the main source of topaz, and
a review of the localities, association, and varieties of its
established occurrence there would require an extensive space.
In
North America topaz is found to an extent of small commercial
importance in Mexico. In the United States it occurs more abundantly,
although gem-quality is rare. Colorado has yielded the best specimens
from localities in Chaffee County and El Paso County, on Cheyenne
Mountain and elsewhere in the region of Pike's Peak. Small but
brilliant crystals have been found at Thomas Mountain, Sevier County,
Utah. At Bald Mountain, North Chatham, New Hampshire, topaz occurs,
with phenacite, in crystals.
