The American Golden Topaz

The American Golden Topaz is the world's largest faceted yellow topaz. It remains on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute. Photo by Karen Neoh on Flickr, CC by 2.0.   The American Golden Topaz maintains its prominence as the world's largest cut yellow topaz. It weighs an astonishing 22,892.5 carats. As a cushion cut stone, the topaz has 172 facets with flawless clarity and transparency. Radiating a golden yellow brown color, this gemstone truly shines as one of the world's most important cut gemstones.  

Origins of the American Golden Topaz

Minas Gerais, Brazil, is nearly synonymous with minerals and gemstones. A mountainous region with numerous massive rivers, Minas Gerais produces some of the most beautiful gemstones in the world. Running in an east-west direction, the topaz belt of Minas Gerais spans an area of approximately 96 miles. A fair amount of the topaz rough winds up in the rivers. Tumbling about for centuries, this particular specimen first appeared as a massive piece of river-worn cobblestone. (source) A prominent sociologist by the name of Dr. Edgar Borgatta purchased the 26-pound river rock to add to his growing collection of mineral specimens.  

Dr. Edgar F. Borgatta

On February 20, 2016, at the age of 91, Edgar Borgatta passed away in Seattle, Washington. Born in Milan, Italy, he arrived in New York at the age of 5, speaking only Italian. (source) After serving in World War II, Edgar obtained his PhD in Sociology from New York University in 1952. He and his beloved wife Marie, who also earned her PhD in sociology, worked together at some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Harvard, NYU, Cornell, and the University of Wisconsin all benefited from their professional acumen. In the final chapter of their illustrious career, Marie and Edgar moved to Seattle to work for the University of Washington. There they established the Institute of Aging, a program dedicated to research on aging and the burden of care for the elderly. Of course, academics were not Edgar's only passions. Indeed, he enjoyed boating, sailing, flower photography, DIY home improvements, and gemology. (source) His passion for gemology inspired him to earn a certificate through the GIA. Not only a collector, but also a gem cutter, he donated several rough and faceted specimens to museums around the country. Although a skilled cutter in his own right, he reached his limit when faced with the challenges of the 26-pound topaz rough. Using his own tools, he managed to trim the stone to 15 pounds. Once he saw the beautiful topaz buried within the matrix, he called upon local mineralogical clubs to find the best man to facet the stone. (source) Enter Leon Agee.  

Agee & The Beast

In 1985, Leon Agee worked for a Walla Walla jewelry store in Washington State. A Spokane mineralogical club recommended Agee to Dr. Borgatta. After discussing the stone over the phone, Agee agreed to tackle the project. (source) Nothing could have prepared Agee for the monumental task ahead. "I'd cut a 1,500-carat piece of quartz for a guy in Arkansas, but this was 20 times that size," he explained to The Spokesman. He promptly dubbed the stone, The Beast. His arrangement with Borgatta afforded Agee the time to approach the cutting on his own terms and in his own time. Finding spare moments after working full time in the jewelry store, Agee worked on the topaz for 2 years in his basement. For the first six months, he devised a machine large enough to hold the stone. Next, he experimented with epoxy resins to hold it in place while he cut. The first epoxy proved insufficient. "...10 seconds into the cutting, the stone popped off and rolled around the top of the machine," he shared. (The Spokesman) Finally, after securing the stone with two-ton epoxy, he started cutting. He kept the project close to his belt, revealing only to his wife and Edgar Borgatta that the stone remained a work in progress in his basement workshop.  

A Record-Breaker

However, word soon spread that a masterpiece was in the works. In particular, the Smithsonian expressed an interest. As long as its final weigh surpassed that of the record-holding Brazilian Princess, they agreed to purchase the stone from Borgatta upon its completion. On New Year's Day, 1988, after spending 500 hours with the specimen, Agee completed the monumental project. His next challenge - find a scale large enough to obtain an accurate weight. A friend at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation offered to weigh it on one of their laboratory scales. (The Spokesman) With the confirmation of a new world record, the Smithsonian agreed to purchase the stone from Dr. Borgatta for a sum of $40,000. To this day, the American Golden Topaz remains on display in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Visit their website to plan your visit! Meanwhile, consider adding a golden yellow topaz to your collection. Check out this imperial topaz pendant with coloring similar to the world's largest faceted topaz. ~Angela Magnotti Andrews