What Makes Texas Topaz Special?
One thing I have always loved about Texas is how unique we are compared to other states. Tacos are a staple and can be had for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert, and we have what one of our best New Yorker friends calls hot dogs, for breakfast - aka kolaches. Let’s not forget the gorgeous wildflowers lining our highways in the Springtime, making Texas the most beautiful state in the country (too biased?). And of course, we say the infamous “y’all” like it’s going out of style. Native Texans, like Cub and I, are only slightly proud of being born and raised in this great state of Texas.
Set by Texans.
A Lone Star Blue Topaz being set by Chris Root, Kirk’s oldest son, at C. Kirk Root Designs in the early 2000s.
Now, let’s talk about Texans being proud of our state. We are not the only state with our own Gemstone, but we are the only state with our own gemstone cut; The Lone Star Cut. This cut was adopted May 25, 1977 and just a few short years later, C. Kirk Root got it right. So much so that when C. Kirk Root began cutting the triple star into Texas Topaz in the 1980s, his designs and specifications were recognized and used as a reference for the Lone Star Cut being to the exact specifications required. It is important to be aware that not all Lone Star Cuts are created equal, nor are they recognized by the state as the true Lone Star Cut. To this day, our very own Lone Star Blue Topaz and Texas Topaz are start cut by our very own lapidary to our exact specifications in order to achieve the triple star you see projecting from the inside of the stone.
The Original…
One of the first Lone Star Cut Blue Topaz pieces created by C. Kirk Root and used by the State of Texas for Lone Star Cut guidelines.
So what makes Texas Topaz special? Well! It is exceedingly rare, only being found within the borders of Mason County, Texas. It is also a lot of work to find! Since commercial mining of Topaz does not exist, it is only found by a process called “Topaz Hunting”. There are a few ranches within Mason County that allow the public to hunt for Topaz and many of them have great reviews. I am determined to make this a Root Family outing one of these days, but I have a feeling our daughter, and my pregnant self, would not have the patience to last as long as we would need to in order to actually find gems.
Mason County Texas Topaz with the original Texas Lone Star Cut.
Topaz comes in many many different hues, but Blue Topaz is the birthstone for December and it is the gem of the 4th anniversary. One thing Cub and I truly love about all Gemstones that really makes us fall in love with them, is that they all have a significant meaning and story to tell. Whether it’s a personal sentimental meaning or the actual stone’s story itself, they all tell a story. When C. Kirk Root Designs was closed by Lori Root in 2017 after an emotionally draining few years, The Kirk Root Collection was born from one of these stories. We are so proud to carry on Kirk’s original designs within The Kirk Root Collection at Form To Feeling and we hope you enjoy these gorgeous pieces as much as we do. See our Bluebonnet blog post to learn about how the Wildflower Collection within The Kirk Root Collection was born.
