All of Nature’s splendor seems to be reflected in the manifold opulence of fine Opals: fire and lightnings, all the colors of the rainbow and the soft shine of far seas. Australia is the classical country of origin. Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts.
The group of fine Opals includes quite a number of wonderful gemstones, which share one characteristic: they shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colors full of fantasy, which experts describe as “opalising”. Depending on the kind, place of occurrence, and color of the main body, we differentiate Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland – the so-called “picture stones“, and also Mexican and Fire Opal. Opal variations are practically unlimited. They all show in their own special way that unique play of colors – except for Fire Opal, which due to its transparency, however, is nevertheless also considered a Fine Opal specimen. If Opals are lacking the typical play of colors, they are simply named “Common Opal”.
Brilliance or luster is one of the primary factors that determine an opal's value. An opal with strong intensity and color play adds more value. Opal's hardness on the Mohs scale is 6.5. It was thought that boulder opals are porous and will absorb moisture, such as perspiration but this is not the case. To change the water content locked in an opal's tiny voids it must be heated to extreme temperatures.
Australia is the classical Opal country and today is the worldwide most important supplier of Fine Opals. Almost 95 per cent of all Opals come from Australian mines. The remaining five per cent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil’s north, also in Idaho and Nevada, but recently the stones have also been found in Ethiopia and in the West African country of Mali.
The history of Australian Opal began actually 50-65 million years old, dating back to the Cretaceous period. Parts of Australia were covered by a vast inland sea, and stone sediment was deposited along its shoreline. When the water masses flooded back, they flushed water-containing silica into the resulting cavities and niches in the sedimentary rocks, and also the remains of plants and animals were deposited there. Slowly the silica stone transformed into Opal, for basically Opals are simply a combination of silica and water. Or, to be more precise: Opals are a gel from silica, with varying percentages of water.
Opal’s color play emanates a very special attraction and fascination. But what causes this phenomenon? This question was impossible to answer for a very long time. Only when in the 1960s 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 colors 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 colors of the rainbow, always new and always different.
Upala, opallios or Opalus – fascination created by tiny spheres
The name Opal was probably derived from Sanskrit “upala“, meaning ”valuable stone“. This was probably the root for the Greek term “opallios”, which translates as “color change”. In Roman antiquity there existed a so-called “opalus”, or a “stone from several elements”. Pliny, the famous Roman author, called Opal a gemstone which combines the best possible characteristics of the most beautiful of gemstones: fire of carbuncle (a deep red garnet) the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire,” so that all colors shine and sparkle together in a beautiful combination”.
Color and Varieties:
There are two distinct types of opal, common and precious. The way the silica particles form determines which type. In precious opal, silica particles are packed in regular rows and layers. Moving the stone causes light to diffract, or split, as it grazes the opal surface. This light diffusion shows iridescent flashes of green, blue, aqua and sometimes yellowish or red colors that are referred to as "fire".
Light opal is the most common type of opal found and refers to both the crystal type opal (translucent) and the milky opal (opaque). It is the most common variety of opal and is generally less expensive than gem quality light opal. Brilliantly colored light opals may be quite expensive with a value exceeding some Black and Boulder Opals.
Black Opal comes from the Lightning Ridge region of Northern New South Wales. It is the most rare and valuable opal. Fine quality black opals often cost more per carat than diamonds. The term black opal is misleading because the opal is not actually black, but instead has a very dark base. This dark base enhances the brilliant colors known as "fire".
Boulder opal occurs in the boulder opal belt, an area between the New South Wales border and northwest Queensland. Boulder opal forms on a dark ironstone base (the host rock) and occurs as a thin uneven layer adhering to the ironstone. Because of the uneven layers, sometimes part of the ironstone is visible on the surface of the stone. Queensland Boulder Opal accounts for a small percent of the world market, and because of its brilliance and rarity can bring up to $1000 a carat.
Opal is the modern October birthstone and the accepted gem for the 13th wedding anniversary. Numerous legends and tales surround this colorful gemstone, which can be traced back in its origins to a time long before our memory, to the ancient dream time of the Australian aborigines. It is reported in their legends that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring 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. That was the birth of the Opals.
In 1849 the first Opal blocks were accidentally found on an Australian cattle station called Tarravilla . the first Opal prospectors started in 1890 at White Cliff mining the Opal rocks. And even today the eyes of Opal lovers light up when somebody mentions places like White Cliffs, Lightning Ridge, Andamooka or Coober Peddy: for these are the legendary sites of the Australian Opal fields.
The most famous Australian Opal fields are Lightning Ridge, where the coveted Black Opal is found and Andamooka, where Crystal Opal and Light Opal are brought to the light of day. Andamooka boasts to be home of largest Opal found, the “Andamooka Desert Flame”, weighing in at 6,843 kilograms.
Coober Peddy is a word from Aborigine language meaning white man in a hole“. This clearly describes how Opal was in fact mined: many Opal prospectors made their home in deep holes or caves in the ground, to protect themselves from the burning heat of daytime and from the icy winds of night time. Usually they worked only with tools such as pick and shovel. Buckets full of soil, hopefully containing Opal rocks, were pulled up out of the depths of 5 to 40 m deep shafts by hand, for this is the depth of the Opal containing crevices and cavities, which are also mined nowadays.
Up to the first half of the 19th century, Opals were relatively rare. But then their career boomed suddenly and made them one of the most popular gemstones, and the start of this development brought them to the gemstone cutters of the gemstone center of Idar-Oberstein. In the era of Art Deco the Opals experienced their flourishing, with contemporary gemstone artists preferring them to all other stones because of their subdued charm, which in turn was excellently suited to be combined with enamel, another very popular material of those days.
The Romans believed opal was the symbol of hope and purity. They called it cupid paederos (child as beautiful as love) and thought the wearer safe from disease.
The Arabs believed that opals fell from heaven in flashes of lightning. Ancient Greeks also believed the opal had the power of giving foresight and the light of prophecy to their owners. Cleopatra is said to have worn an opal to attract the attention of Mark Anthony.
Aboriginal Opal Myth
Aborigines believe they have lived in Australia since the beginning of all creation. This culture has produced many myths and legends about opals over this span of time and the Aborigines believe the opal has a spiritual value. They believe the opal represents something an ancestor left behind as a sign of his or her presence. The Wangkumara people have a legend which tells how their people gained fire from opal stones, with the assistance of a Muda - a Creator who switches from human form to pelican.
This story is preserved in a book of Aboriginal legends, titled 'The Opal that Turned into Fire', compiled by Janet Mathews and published by Magabala Books. This legend recounts how the Wangkumara people decided to send a pelican (Muda) to explore the Northern Territory, so he could return and tell them what was there. The pelican set off with all the fish and water he would need for the journey stored in the pouch beneath his beak. After flying a while the pelican felt ill and landed on top of a hill that the Wangkumara later named Bildimini. While resting the pelican observed the ground beneath him and was amazed by its magnificent array of colors.
Although he did not know it, what he saw was opal. The pelican was so curious he began to peck at the colored stones with his beak. Suddenly, a spark flew out and lit the dry grass nearby. The flames rose and spread slowly across the plains approaching a group of Wangkumara who were camping near Cooper's Creek. The people were able to use the fire to cook their meat and fish for the first time, and were grateful for this new gift.
Another legend tells how an earlier Muda, also in pelican form, created Cooper's Creek for the Wangkumara and filled it with fish. Wounded by a spear, this Muda died on the hill that would be called Bildimini. His blood and the water in his pouch flowed down the hillside, soaking into the earth and hardening into opal and gold.
Opal is known as a "stone of happy dreams and changes; the happy dreams arising from the understanding of personal higher potentials coupled with the glad acceptance of ones inherent perfection.
This wondrous mineral is used to awaken both the psychic and the mystical qualities, helping one to understand the higher powers of intuition and mysticism and to enhance flashes of insight.
Opal has been used by Native American Indian and Australian aboriginal tribe shamen to invoke visions during ceremonial vision quests and aboriginal 'dream time'.
The intrinsic properties of all opal forms is the amplification of ones traits and characteristics. It helps one to recognize and feel the creativity within. It can be used to strengthen the memory and instill faithfulness and loyalty with respect to love, personal affiliations and business relationships.
It has been used to assist one in becoming 'invisible' in situations where the wearer does not wish to be noticed, bringing one the quality of "fading into the background" when the energy is directed.
(Astrological Signs of Cancer, Libra Pisces & Scorpio)
Vibrates to the number 8
Opals are used to disperse fevers, purify the blood and treat disorders of vision. It has further been used to assist in the recovery from Parkinson's disease.
