Opal is considered an October birthstone.
Opal is the national gemstone of Australia. Australia has often been cited as accounting for 95% of the world's opal supply'
Opal is one of our favorite gemstones to use when making claddagh rings. Heart shape opals are a beautiful gemstone. Opals are delicate gemstones and should be treasured.
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica. My favorite aspect of this fantastic gemstone is its play of light and the many colors present in each gemstone. The internal structure of precious opal makes it diffract light; depending on the conditions in which it formed, it can take on many colors.
Precious opal ranges from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. The black opals are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common. It varies in optical density from opaque to semitransparent.
Opals have been revered for their color through out history. In 75 AD, the Roman scholar Pliny stated, “Some opali carry such a play within them that they equal the deepest and richest colors of painters. Others…simulate the flaming fire of burning sulphur and even the bright blaze of burning oil.”
Historically Europeans have always considered Opals to be a symbol of hope, purity, and truth.
