Rande Bly of Birmingham, Alabama gives his comments on the colored crystal color Dark Topaz
I would like to show an example of Dark Topaz and explain how to separate it from the other colors.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cardersteubenclub/sets/72157624228519344/detail/
Like Russian Amber we had next to nothing to go by with this color and as far as I knew we had no identified examples of this color. This color exhibits three different and distinct colors. It was shown on my Carder’s Rainbow list and as noted there it contains uranium. It is extremely elusive but simple to separate and identify.

Lately I have been talking about these colors doing their brown thing, green thing, and yellow thing. We are all familiar with taking a piece of dichromatic glass to florescent lighting and getting one color then placing it in an incandescent lighting to get another. I am beginning to realize that this mentality mirrors someones favorite painting being the Mona Lisa just because the eyes follow you when you walk across the room . Sure they do, but was that the goal or the result from the artist. Wasn’t the goal of the master to capture a thousand expressions in those eyes.

I know in my heart when Carder was developing these colors in the latter part of his career he wanted to make colors that had a thousand colors within them. We are talking about the same genius that made Tyrian and Intarsia.

I have been using the term morph to describe some of these colors lately. I have captured pieces displaying yellow, brown, and green on film. This is only a result not the purpose from the Master. The purpose was to enjoy and be mystified as the piece is always in a state of color change through out the day. Desire was that they throw a constantly changing rainbow of color from its distinctly different 3 or 4 colors. Its other purpose was to emit a single color at any given moment which will also vary in tone through out the day. No wonder I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out what color it was when every time I looked at it had changed.

The three colors Dark Topaz will display are Topaz Brown, yellow, and uranium green. In indoor lighting the piece will appear quite dark in color showing a rich Dark Topaz Brown. As it gets closer to natural outdoor light you can get it to turn yellow like I talked about with the color Russian Amber.but it will be much more drastic. When it is yellow you will also see the obvious green from uranium.

Carders 1929 notes will show that Dark Topaz contains uranium. I hope the photos graciously supplied by David Chadwick-Brown will be helpful. Titles on photos were added by me. I am sure David would like me to add this is the same mermaid found on the lid of the Clear Crystal cigarette box.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cardersteubenclub/sets/72157624228519344/detail/

In case the text titles do not arrive with the photos the two shots of the Dark Topaz showing yellow speak for themselves and you will notice the distinctive uranium green on the right hand side and bottom of first photo. Third photo shows Dark Topaz in it’s natural state of color and I think it is displayed with two pieces of Smoke, Russian Amber Grotesque bowl and Trumpet vase, and four pieces of Topaz.

I would at this time place it at a solid 10 on the rarity scale and this is the only example so far that I am aware of. I am working on the Cinnamon Flint article which is Carder’s only four color glass. As part of its ingredients it contains uranium and a high content of gold. It was a very expensive color to make and will display soft Topaz, yellow, uranium green, and cherry red.

If any else has this color or has seen it please let us know. We would appreciate very much one other example.
randebly@yahoo.com
Rande Bly