Opal is the birthstone of the month October. The name opal is derived from Upala Sanskrit word which means precious stone/jewel. Opal is a feminine name which is dwelled with the lovely play of colors. The name opallios is Greek word meaning color change.
In history opal where considered as a lucky charm which enhanced Galore of beauty, pride, and joy. Prophecies believe that opal are predictable of foresight and purity. In ancient literature Shakespeare refers the opal as the twelfth night- the queen of gems. There are many kind of opals of which the Australian black opal is the most precious. Other colors are white, black, red, orange, yellow, blue green. The basic types are fire, rainbow, jelly, boulder, peruvian, half white or grey and white opal. The major mining areas of opals are australia- black, boulders, half white and greys; ethiopia- whites, rainbow; mexico- fire opals and a rare peruvian paraiba hue opals.
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Opal is one gemstone which is very much different in the crystalline structure and hence the name mineraloid was termed right for describing an opal. The ardent color play is due to the presence of tiny silicon sphere like patterns. This refracts the light on each sphere to throw a range of colors, which is called as sheen or scintillation. The color play is based on the intensity of the silica spheres. Most opals are cabochoned to maintain the color play and also in different shapes that maintain and enhance the play of colors. Fire opals are faceted at times, but all this is entirely based on the refractive nature of the densely populated spheres.
gempiece.com has a wide range of opals gemstones in all varieties and also deals with custom jewelry for more than two decades. Please feel free to email us if you have any orders and we most warmly welcome you. We serve certificates from Gubelin, GIA- Gemological Institute of America, AIGS- Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences, Tokyo gem lab, GIT, GRS etc.
The Hardness of fire opal is 6 - 6.5 with a specific Gravity of 1.97 - 2.22 and a Refractive Index of 1.370 - 1.470. The extraordinary color is a result of the term called Opalescence, which means the reflection of the internal beauty.
