The word opal comes from a combination of the Sanskrit word ‘upala’ and the Latin word ‘opalus’, both of which mean precious stone’ The opulent flashes of color that are displayed by the opal gemstone cannot be compared to any other gemstone, making it phenomenally popular the world over. It has been regarded as the luckiest and most magical of all gems because of the special display of all colors of the rainbow.
The opal rough was first mined in Czechoslovakia (former Hungary) in the 14th century. However, in the 1800’s the gem lost its popularity since it was associated with bad luck. Like the many hues of its flashing colors, myriad legends are associated with the opal. While the Romans believed that the gem was a sign of love and hope, the Arabs believed that the gem fell from the heavens to flash its light on earth. Australian legends will have us believe that a huge opal governs the stars and the gold mines, guiding human love.
On the other hand it is also believed that the gem was actually a devil hiding in the ground with destructive flashes of wicked magic. Opal gemstones are delicate and therefore requires careful handling. However, the sheer beauty of this gemstone outweighs this disadvantageous physical property.
The play of color makes the opal one of the favorite gemstones for jewelry. Opal jewelry like opal rings, opal earrings, opal pendants, opal wedding rings, black opal mens rings, opal engagement rings and even antique opal rings have become fairly popular. Irrespective of whether the jewelry is made of australian opals, black opals, pink opals, cherry opals or any other specific opal type, the display of colors is what makes each item look fantastic.
The chemical composition of opal gem stone is a hydrous silicate di-oxide (SiO2 + nH2O). The specific gravity ranges between 1.98 and 2.20 and the refractive index ranges from 1.44 to 1.46. The hardness of the opal on the Mohs scale is generally between 5.5 and 6. The opal is mostly made up of silica and is a very delicate stone. It also contains a significant amount of water (usually between 3 and 10 percent). In most cases, the gem is accompanied by fair amounts of cristobalite.
Opals are classified according to the base or body color and the play of color that it displays. The five main types of opals commonly seen in gemstone trade circles are:
1) Black opal
2) White opal
3) Crystal opal
4) Water opal
5) Fire opal
Opals are the birthstone for those born in October
The opal is considered the birthstone for the month of October. The opal is also the gemstone for the 13th wedding anniversary. The opal has often been called the "Queen of Gemstones." It takes its name from the Latin word upala, which means precious stone. This stunning gemstone has flashes of rainbow-like colors when it is viewed from different angles. This color combination is created by silica spheres which are contained within the opal.
Opals have been mined in various locations around the world but, by far, the largest deposits have been found in Australia - with 95% of the world's opals originating there. Other sources of mines include Mexico, Africa, the US, Brazil, parts of the old Soviet Union and a few other areas in South America.
There are many metaphysical properties associated with opals. For centuries, people have believed in the healing power of opals. They are thought to help with depression and to enable the wearer to find true love and happiness. Some believe that they enhance the positive qualities of those born under the signs of Cancer, Aries and Scorpio.
The opal is said to be many things including the most powerful of healing stones, the stone of hope, the stone of great achievement and even the "stone of the Gods". It is said to be the stone of love, but only to faithful lovers. The opal will bring misfortune to an unfaithful lover.
info credit:
http://www.gehnabazaar.com/gemstones/45/opal.html
http://vintagejewelrylane.com/information/birthstones.htm
http://crystal-cure.com/opal-gem.html
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The gemstone opal
Some forms of Mexican fire opal are faceted into several gemstone cuts, and others as cabochons. Opal matrix and boulder opal (layer of precious opal on top ...
http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/opal/opal.htm
Encyclopedia of Gemstones - Opal. Opal's color, characteristics of Opal, varieties of Opal, mystical power of Opal, healing ability of Opal, Opal's history
Opal is extensively used as a gemstone. Various forms of common opal are widely mined for use as abrasives, insulation media, fillers, ...
http://www.all-that-gifts.com/se/opal.html
Natural Opal Gemstone | Precious Opals | Opal Gem Types and Colors | Synthetic Opal Information
Natural Opal gemstones are delicate and therefore requires careful handling. Price, cost and buying guide of opal gem is mentioned here.
http://www.gehnabazaar.com/gemstones/45/opal.html
Opal, Gemstone in India
6 Jul 2010 ... Opal, Gemstone in India - Informative & researched article on Opal, Gemstone in India from Indianetzone, the largest free encyclopedia on ...
http://www.indianetzone.com/27/opal_gemstones.htm
Opal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
These color variations are a function of growth size into the red and infrared wavelengths. Opal is Australia's national gemstone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal
