October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest
In the world of
gemstones, opals truly are a class apart. So beautiful, a new word had to be
created to describe their shimmer – ‘opalescence’.
Opals are a hardened silica gel with a fairly high (about
5-10%) water content and are the one gemstone not to belong to one of the 7
crystal systems. This is why opals must be treated with great care as they can
chip like glass & fall out of their settings or crack if the water content
dries out.
There are four types opal which are very easy to remember -
White, Black, Fire and Water! White opals are the most commonly seen in shops.
These have a white background with flashes of colour. Those with flashes of red
are the most highly prized. The more flashes of colour & the more evenly
distributed, the better the opal. Black opals are similar, but have a dark
blue/grey background and again, the more colourful they are, the more valuable.
Black opals generally cost considerably more than the white variety. Beware of
black opal doublets and triplets. These are stones where a very thin layer of
opal is fused onto a base, sometimes with a transparent layer on top. They can
look good but have very little value relatively speaking. Fire opals are quite
different, they are transparent and a lovely bright orange colour. These are often facetted,
whilst black and white opals are just shaped and polished as cabochons. Water
opals are translucent gemstones with small flashes of colour and are quite
unusual.
Fire opal and diamond dress ring |
Opals are fairly soft and can scratch, chip or crack easily
if not treated with care. For this reason, never keep your opals mixed up with
your other jewellery, particularly diamonds which will scratch the delicate
surface. Keep them separately wrapped. Opals should really be worn when you are
going out, not on a daily basis where they could be easily knocked &
damaged. Opals are best cleaned in a mild soapy solution. They are porous and
harsh chemicals will damage them
Queen Victoria
was a fan of opals, wearing them herself and giving them as gifts to her
daughters on their wedding day. Cleopatra is also said to have worn an opal to
attract Mark Anthony. In Greek Legend, they were said to be made out of Zeus’
tears of joy, shed when he defeated the Titans. Opals were believed to be both
a “cure-all” and a good luck charm, because they featured all the colours – and
hence all the properties – of the other gemstones.
Opal is the national gemstone of Australia and over
90% of the world’s opal production is mined there. For Australian aborigines,
they represent hope, and were said to be formed when their
Creator came down to earth on a rainbow to bring the message of peace to
all mankind. At the place where his feet touched the ground, the rocks
mixed with the rainbow and turned into opals.
From ancient tribes to English Queens, people from all walks
of life have valued the opal as a symbol of hope, an emblem of luck, and an
object of exceptional beauty. With colours available to suit all styles and
tastes, opals are an exceptionally versatile stone as well as being utterly
individual. Each opal has it’s own unique combination of colours, making the
opal an ideal representation of individuality, independence and creativity.
No comments:
Post a Comment