Gem Quality Opal

By Author: Ali C. Underwood
Total Articles: 39
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Opal gemstones have earned their place in the hearts of many and their value doesn’t just halt at being Australia’s number one natural gemstone. These rocks have girdled the globe with their beauty and every individual whose eye notices splendor would boldly agree that this rock is of no ordinary value. It’s one that many would give up their left feet for and it’s not so hard to figure out why.
Opal is ahydrated and amorphous form of the silica mineral. Their formation, as with any other mineral takes millions of years to occur with the gradual accumulation of high mineral content finally resulting in formation of beautiful Opal deposits. The stone is able to diffract and scatter light and create a breathtaking phenomenon of every visible light color from the spectrum. Its history has it connected with superstitious powers like invisibility and it’s also said to have healing and spiritual properties.
Opal is one of those stones associated with wealth, luxury, love and even better, a magnet of good fortune. It exists in a wide range of colors from transparent white all the way to red, green and blue shades. ...
... The types are also numerous with the major ones being black, white, crystal, fire and boulder opal. Black Opal is the most expensive and indeed the most precious form of this stone and the fire opal especially the Australian opal holds the red coloring, which is the rarest color. Australian opals are also the most widespread.
An Opal gemstone can be the most sparkling jewelry piece you hold but they also come with a downside. These Opal pieces require top notch maintenance practices so as to maintain their high priced value and so many occurrences can lead to their decline in quality. An Opal losing its moisture is one show you really don’t want to see, it causes a web of cracks and diminishes its beauty considerably. This can be caused by excessive heat or exposure to too much direct sunlight.
Even cutters have to treat these stones with respect. It takes a lot of skill to have the rock exposing its optimum color and save on its weight so that in the end user can enjoy its optimum flair. An Opal gemstone is one rock that you surely wish to have by your side and that’s not only because it’s a call for prosperity but also because it takes jewelry beauty to a whole new level.