The worlds’ most beautiful, fiery and interesting opals come from Australia. Nearly all of the opals mined in the world and used in opal jewelry are found in this country. In fact, the opal is ther national gemstone of this nation. Opals vary widely in their coloring, the types of fiery colors that can be seen when gazing upon them, their brilliance, and their carat weight.
Opals are created when layers of silica gel settle together. The internal structure of the stone, which is closely related to quartz, determines how it will bend the light and which colors will be seen. Small spheres within the silica gel cause shifts which make the light hitting the stone appear to move and change, causing interesting plays of color and light.
Opals vary widely in their background colors, which range from clear to white, to gray, yellow, green, or blue and even red and black. The rarest opals are red and they display fiery veins of color and often feature yellow and orange in addition to red. The darker an opal is, the more vibrant the colors that play on its surface and deep within the stone. Blue is the most common color of opals. Typically, these will show greens, pinks, yellows, oranges, and reds, depending on the light shining upon them and the angle from which they are viewed.
The Australian town where most of the world’s opals are mined is called Coober Pedy. This unforgiving, harsh landscape is located in South Australia. Many people who visit Australia pay a visit to this area in order to purchase opal jewelry made from opals mined there. Black opals are among the most rare and most valuable gemstones to be found in opal jewelry.
Boulder opals are solid opals that are attached to a solid piece of ironstone. This is because the thin opal veins form within cracks that are found in the ironstone. These opals are often cut into unusual shapes that are determined by the splashes of color within each stone.
The colors that are seen when light hits the stone in different ways and from different angles, the thickness of the stone, as well as the background color all determine the classification and value that each opal receives. Most opals flash a rainbow of colors that are sometimes described as liquid fire or similar to moving stained glass.
Solid opals are the most valuable types of opals because their thickness allows them to be cut into different shapes and set in dramatic white or yellow gold settings. Often, opals called doublets and triplets are inlaid into earrings or rings. A doublet is a thin slice of opal that is set on either plastic or stone. A triplet is a doublet that has had either a piece of crystal or glass added to its surface to increase its brilliance.
All opals attract people with their mystery and every-changing flashes of color. The same stone is different every time you look at it.
