Birthstone of the month: Opal

 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.