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When There’s More to the Story “In shades of yellow, brown, honey, green, blue, red, pink and sometimes no color at all, Topaz has a mass appeal. Topaz is often found in an amber gold, yellow, or a blushing pink orange but a pale pink or a sherry red Topaz is very exceptional. The most prized color of Topaz is called Imperial Topaz and features a magnificent orange with pink undertones.” --http://www.jthomasjewelers.com/pages/birthstone-gem-guide What do you think? When do you go for the first thing/impression/feeling/idea that comes to mind, or under what circumstances are you moved to dig deeper? An interesting question—no right answers—but one that’s worth thinking about. Here’s an example. When you ask most people to describe the color of the gem topaz that’s one of the birth stones for the month of November (the other is citrine), they’re likely to point to a gold-brown/honey color. It’s warm; it’s inviting; it combines several wonderful colors, all of them fitting nicely into a season of fall and of Thanksgiving. A perfect color for the birth stone of the month! But What happens when you Take time to check out the color wheel for the “technical” description of the color named topaz. You actually get a different answer to the “what color is topaz” question. Thus, several reliable sources have it that the color officially named topaz is a mellow and quiet light orange. It appears to be the color closely matching the saffron robes worn by many Budhist monks. Hmm, a bit of a mismatch between the color of the gem that’s November’s birth stone and the actual color name. Well, as the quote above suggests, there’s even more. The colors of the gem range well beyond the colors we associate with November’s birthstone or the light orange fitting the color’s definition. . In fact, it turns out that what is called the “purest” form of the gem is actually colorless. That’s right; due to the chemical formula, there’s no color at all. But presto, make some small change, and you’ve changed the color by a lot. First off, out there in the natural world, changes in the chemical composition of the topaz crystal can change the color so that it includes all the wonderful shades of the rainbow—blue, green, yellow, red and even imperial orange—described above. There’s even more colors too including, purple, brown and gray. Wow, who would have thought that what chemists consider as small change within an overall crystal structure could make such a difference. You can also get these colors—and sometimes apparently even more enhanced versions of the colors-- by artificially treating the crystal through various processes, including irradiation, heat or a high tech process called thin-film Deposition. In the end, it turns out that topaz can be just about any color you want! So what do you think? When do you go for the first thing/impression/feeling/idea that comes to mind, or under what circumstances are you moved to dig deeper? If we can generalize from the case of topaz, whichever aspect you choose to focus on-- November’s birthstone, the color wheel or the chemical properties of the crystal, you’re in for a pretty wonderful experience. How do these ideas resonate with you, and what are one or two actions you might want to take in the next day or so on that basis?
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AuthorI am a Life Coach, a Color Wisdom Card Practitioner, and yes, even a Professor (political science, State University of New York at Albany). I use the Color Wisdom Cards to support clients in exploring priorities and taking concrete actions to stay on track with the goals they set. Because in my own life I have overcome a lot of self-doubt, I want to work with people towards more confidence and self-empowerment. You can do it! What is it you want to do? Categories
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June 2021
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