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  • GEM OF THE MONTH

 

The Stone of Passion and Mystery…The Opal

typesOpal has always been associated with love and passion, as well as desire and mystery. It is said to be a seductive stone that intensifies emotions. Those born in October claim the opal as their birthstone, and are said to be loyal and faithful.
 
The name for this mysterious stone is from the Greek word, opillos, which has two meanings. One is related to "seeing" and forms the basis of the English words like "opaque." The second meaning is "other" as in “alias” or “alter.” The gemstone opal combined these two meanings because the colors are ever-changing in light.

The opal birthstone can be found in many places. The fields of Australia are the most productive in the world for the October birthstone. Ethiopia, Mexico and Brazil are also important sources. Additional deposits have been found in Central Europe, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Peru, Turkey and the United States.
 
Because opal has the colors of other gems, the Romans thought it was the most precious and powerful gemstone of all. According to the Australian aborigines, in their ancient dream time, the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, bringing the message of peace to all the humans. And at the very spot, where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow.
 
In the Middle Ages, opal was believed to provide good luck because it possessed all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the spectrum of the stone. It was also said to confer the power of invisibility if wrapped in a fresh bay leaf and held in the hand, perfect for the month of Halloween. However, the person lucky enough to have opal as his or her birthstone will certainly not be invisible when wearing this mysterious gemstone. Opal is also the stone given to celebrate the 14th wedding anniversary.

Natural Opals
black-opal fire-opal
Black Opal - The term doesn’t mean that the stone is black; it simply means the stone has a dark body tone in comparison to a white opal. White Opal – Is more common and generally doesn’t show the color as well as black opal. Nevertheless, color can still be magnificent in good quality stones. Fire Opal – A transparent to translucent opal, with warm colors of yellow to orange to red. Although it does not usually show any play of color, occasionally a stone will exhibit bright green flashes.
 
opal-composit Composite Natural Opal

Doublet – Is comprised of two parts glued together - the top is a slice of opal on a dark opaque backing made of plastic or another gem material.

Triplet – The Triplet slice of opal is much thinner and crowned by a transparent colorless domed cabochon made of quartz, plastic, or glass mounted on an opaque backing. This protects the opal and also works as a magnifier for the play of color.

Ask one of our jewelers about opals and see these mysterious gems of passion up close. Contact us or visit our showroom!
 

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