The Beauty of Opal

For those of you who've been involved with opals and gemstones for many years, here you can chat with your peers.

Moderators: PinkDiamond, John

Post Reply
User avatar
PinkDiamond
Posts: 15402
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:30 pm
Location: Ozark Mountains

The Beauty of Opal

Post by PinkDiamond »

I keep looking for articles featuring opals for our Opaltober babies, but they seem to be few and far between this year, and even this one from the American Gem Society is from last July! I sure hope I can find more of them to tickle your fancy, so wish me luck. I favor the fire opal ring with the talon prongs in this lineup. :)

The Beauty of Opal
July 23, 2021

"With its amazing display of colors and kaleidoscopic patterns, opal is a unique and spectacular gemstone. They’re stunning as rings, pendants, necklaces, and any other jewelry style you can think of! As one of the two birthstones representing October, and the gifting gemstone for 14th wedding anniversaries, there is more to opal than one might think. If you have ever wondered what makes opal special beyond its eye-catching colors, keep reading!

Image
Opal and diamond earrings by Lightning Ridge Collection by John Ford

Each opal has its own uniqueness, but many might not know how they developed. Seasonal rains soaked the parched Outback in Australia, carrying silica deposits underground into cracks between layers of rock. When the water evaporated, these deposits formed opal. Sometimes, silica seeped into spaces around wood, seashells, and skeletons, resulting in opalized fossils.

About 95% of opal comes from Australia, however, a similar mineral has also been found on the red planet, Mars! According to NASA, the Martian rocks are light-toned and appear cream-colored, containing a hydrated mineral similar to opal.

Image
Light opal and pink sapphire earrings by Sloane Street

For centuries, opals have been the star of many legends, including Greek mythology! Ancient Greeks believed that opal came from the tears of Zeus, the god of lightning, after winning a battle against the Titans. His joyful tears turned into opal when they landed upon Earth.

Image
Ocean necklace with freeform opal doublet by Lika Behar.

Image
Yellow Gold Pendant featuring a fiery Ethiopian opal by AG Gems.

As magical as opals are, they can be fragile and require special care. Because opals are composed of five to 10 percent water, they will deteriorate over time as they dry out. As they dry, they turn milky, losing their beautiful layers of color, and may crack. It’s important to store them in cool, moist places, minimizing exposure to heat and dry conditions.

Image
"Dragon" fire opal and diamond ring by Yael Designs.

Image
"Flow" fire opal and diamond ring by Yael Designs.

If you adore opals and would like to add them to your fine jewelry collection, find an AGS jeweler near you today."

https://www.americangemsociety.org/the- ... vauJg30%3D
PinkDiamond
ISG Registered Gemologist


· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ There are miracles left for you to do .... -:¦:- -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* It all begins inside of you. ;)
User avatar
SwordfishMining
Posts: 4216
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2015 3:06 pm
Location: Denio, NV USA
Contact:

Re: The Beauty of Opal

Post by SwordfishMining »

Yahh. About the better I saw was a GemA piece.
https://gem-a.com/gem-hub/gem-knowledge ... l-gemstone
I dont have time to do all the things I wish i would see done. It is amazing the LACK of showing off I see out there. I really can't stop digging for more, so I understand.
Here is my fire opals I found a month ago & the bag of what Arron just dug a couple weeks ago. I should have mine faceted.
Virgin Valley Fire Opal Arron dug
Virgin Valley Fire Opal Arron dug

The big ones in Arrons bag there are almost 2 inches across. He let me pick a few so I had some bigger ones to have done. Mine is sitting in air and not crazing any so Im jazzed. I doubted it would craze the way it was shriveled onto the log into the cavity like dried mud on the playa.
Virgin Valley Fire Opal
Virgin Valley Fire Opal

We got snow in the valley yesterday & today was more. Officially mud & ice season.
I'll jump over my shadow. https://www.virginvalleyopal.com"
Opals & more at my ESTY store https://swordfishmining.etsy.com"
Post Reply