If you have never owned an opal the you don’t know what you are missing. In
ancient Rome, the opal was revered as the “king of gems”. The reason for this
honor being bestowed on this lovely stone is because it contains within itself
all the colors of every other gem. If you have ever seen one, you know just
how accurate this statement is. The opal is known for its unique iridescent
display of colors which appear to dance as they reflect off the stone. Because
of this iridescence, also known as play-of-color, no two stones are exactly
alike. The same can be said about people, which explains why the two make such
a great match.

The iridescence is caused by the opal’s inner structure, where light is
diffracted among the microscopic minerals from which the opal is born. Not all
opals display colors, and not all are white. Black opals are the most
expensive and rare, fire opals from Mexico are a translucent red and do not
always contain play-of-color. Blue and green opals are the most common, and red
and violet are the most treasured. Like many other stones and gems, the opal
brings to the table a rich history filled with mysticism, romance and folklore.

According to Pliny, an ancient Roman scholar, the opal has “the fire of the
carbuncle (garnet), the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green of
the emerald, all shining together in incredible union.” There are tales that
speak of God and creation, where the opal was the receiver of all the color
leftover on God’s palette, the colors of the heavens. The opal is now known as
the October birthstone, but was once believed to provide inspiration in the
field of art and love, protect anyone wearing one in the middle Ages and used
as a means of clairvoyance. Blondes put them in their hair to protect its color
and some Medievals even believed that it could render the wearer invisible when
necessary. For a short period the opal was considered bad luck. This notion
was gone by the time Queen Victoria came around due to the fact that she was
very fond of them. The history of the opal is as colorful as the stone itself!

Now that you know where the opal came from, let’s talk about caring for one.
They have a hardness rating of only 5.5 to 6.5 which makes them quite soft and
they can scratch easily. All settings should be chosen with protection in mind
and the stones should be kept away from heat. Trauma should be avoided at all
cost. The only safe way to clean an opal is to use warm soapy water as anything
else will likely cause damage. When ready to purchase one (hopefully sooner
than later), be sure to take the time to find a reputable jewelry manufacturer.
They will be able to guide you better than any retailer, on the do’s and don’ts
of owning one of their pieces.

As mentioned earlier, ownership of an opal is simply a must. No other variety
of gems can offer the mesmerizing display of color that an opal can. If you
are in the market for something stunningly beautiful but delicate, the opal is
the only obvious choice.

The Romans called it the King of Gems as it held within it the colours of all the gems. Opals resemble snowflakes in a way as no two opals are the same.

Folklore says that when God completed painting the Universe, the scraped palette was dumped into the colours of a stone - the Opal!

Opals are the birth stones of the October born. They have also been used by clairvoyants.

The name Opal was probably derived from Sanskrit "Upala", meaning"valuable stone".

The famous Roman author, Pliny called Opal a gemstone which combines the best possible characteristics of the most beautiful of gemstones: the sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire,"so that all colours shine and sparkle together in a beautiful combination".

Opals were relatively rare up to the first half of the nineteenth century, but then their popularity boomed suddenly and made them one of the most popular gemstones. The start of this development brought them to the gemstone cutters of the gemstone centre of Idar-Oberstein. In the age of Art Deco, the Opals experienced their first brush with limelight, with contemporary gemstone artists preferring them to all other stones because of their discreet charm, which in turn was perfectly suited to be combined with enamel, another very popular material of those days.

Opal's colour play emanates a very special attraction and fascination. What causes this phenomenon is a question which was impossible to answer for a very long time. Only when in the 1960's a team of Australian scientists analyzed Opals with an electron microscope, it was discovered that small spheres from silica gel caused interference and refraction manifestations, which are responsible for the fantastic play of colours. The spheres, which are arranged in more or less compact structures, succeed in dissecting the light on its passage through the gemstone and turning it into all the colours of the rainbow, always new and always unique.

Opals are soft and relatively susceptible to scratches. They are delicate and need to be handled with a lot of 'Tender loving care.'

Never steam or provide ultrasonic as the vibrations may crack them. It is also recommended that you avoid commercial jewellery cleaners as they may crack and seep into the gem leaving it discoloured with an obvious and an unattractive flaw.

Among the Opals the black which is found in Australia is the rarest and the most expensive. They can be translucent or opaque, with the play of colours occurring against a purple, dark blue or a black background.