Untreated Imperial Topaz 3.09 (OIT309)

3.09 Carat
Bright Yellow Gold
Medium Dark 60
Moderately Included

GRADING REPORT OIT309

• Identification: Natural Unheated & Untreated Imperial Topaz
• Carat: 3.09
• Shape: Cushion
• Measures: 8.42x7.37x5.57 (millimeter)
• Color Grade: Very Good
• Tone: MD60
• Color Zoning: Visible under lens (see close-up photo)
• Clarity: Moderately Included (see comment)
• Cutting Grade: Fair-Good
• Brilliancy: 50%
• Depth: 75%
• Origin: Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Treatment: None

Certificate No: IGI 291763889

Overall Grade: Good

Comment: Chance to own big untreated Imperial Topaz on a budget. The two compromises to make are some inclusions and an ancient hand-cut (perhaps really antique). We graded its clarity as 'Moderately Included', though the eye pinpoints the detailed inclusions only after a look through the lens (which happens often: once the eye has seen the details under magnification the brain fills in what the unaided eye coudn't see before). Without that, the body seems not so much included but rather glittery from the inside without the eye being able to spot the sources. As far as the cutting goes, it is not perfect but neither utterly terrible. Some may call it a normal hand-cut but it must be a really old work, done with simple tools because modern hand-cuts with good machines easily achieve more precision. The photos show all flaws without mercy; hence you can judge for yourself: the cut is not too bad, nor are the inclusions ugly black monsters but more colored swirls (see close-up) and white crystals (see close-up). What you may consider to be a window in some images are in fact places where the crystal is free of inclusions. As discussed elsewhere, if you don't resent imperfections in a natural product, you can safe yourself a good deal of dollars, euro or yen, or pounds, and get three carats of posh imperial topaz for $1.8k, a fraction of the perfectionist's version which may be $9k or more.