Arrowheadology.com: Arrowheads, Indian Artifacts and Early Man

Texas Topaz; True Gemstone Points

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by Shannon Graham in Artifact Finds, Flint Artifacts, Miscellaneous, Texas

Topaz occurs naturally in the Llano Uplift region of Texas and is collected by locals and tourists alike. Mason County, in the Texas Hill Country seems to be ground zero and a popular hunting ground for the famous blue topaz. It’s here where the largest known gem-quality topaz was discovered, a 1,296 gram, pale -blue crystal that now calls the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC home .

On Display in the Texas Memorial Museum

Blue Topaz was designated the state gem of Texas in 1969. (Petrified palm wood is the official Texas Stone). Topaz comes in many colors as well as colorless. Beyond the Llano Uplift region of Texas, topaz is found in other places within the American Southwest; San Diego County, California, the Thomas Mountain Range of Utah, and Pikes Peak, Colorado. Most finds are small with a large piece being less than two inches long and an inch wide.

Texas Angostura

The two artifacts shown here are believed to be crafted from colorless Texas Topaz. The Angostura-like point was discovered by Bill Arnold’s family on his property overlooking the Lampasas River in Burnet County. The second is a broken drill or pendant found at Long’s Fishing Camp in Kingsland, Texas (Llano County). At the 2006 Temple, Texas GIRS artifact show, four other artifacts were brought in that were crafted from the same material. Two mineralologists have examined the pieces pictured here and have confirmed the material as Texas Topaz.

Drill or Pendant

Certain cultures took pride in the materials used for their tools. One example is the high grade materials utilized in the manufacture of Clovis Points. Clear quartz is found in the form of projectile points around the US. It would be interesting to know what significance this ice-clear material might have held for its maker so many moons ago.

The following is an excerpt from an article run by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, March 19, 1998.

Topaz, state’s official gemstone, growing hard to find
By Art Chapman Star-Telegram Writer,

“MASON — There is a shortage in this scenic Hill Country town. People talk in hushed tones about it; visitors probe the town square, their noses pressed against merchants’ windows.

They want topaz, the official gemstone of Texas, and it’s found only here among the granite hills and sandy creek beds. But it isn’t unearthed easily. The locals who have it won’t let it go. They keep it secreted away in shoe boxes. Those who search for it used to find it quickly, but they don’t anymore.

Topaz was first recognized in Mason County in 1904. Old-timers remember stumbling onto the quartz-like gemstone while searching the creek beds for arrowheads. Sometimes the stones were so big, they could be used as doorstops.
But it was the arrowhead that had value in those days. The topaz was just another pretty rock.

Mason County boasts the largest gem-quality topaz crystal ever found in North America. It is a 1,296-gram pale blue crystal that now resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Most pieces are considerably smaller, generally less than a couple of inches long with a diameter of less than an inch.

Texas topaz is usually colorless to white, though some of the most beautiful and startling gemstones are in the light-blue to sky-blue range. In color, size and clarity, Texas topaz is considered among the best in the United States.”

Planning a topaz hunting trip to the region? Be sure to check this out.

Related Posts

1. Amazing Similarities Between Texas and Arkansas Human Effigies
2. Central Texas Clovis Cache
3. April ‘09 Site of the Month: Texas Beyond History.net

Tags: Angostura, Texas, Topaz