Opals

Natural Opals:

I have to admit to being a little biased when it comes to Opals. Not only have I been a collector for years, but living in Australia has given me the opportunity to not only write about them, but to cut them on my workbench for years. I was also able to teach opal to students at my local college.

I simply love opal.

A few years ago I was also privileged to travel around the Australian Opal Fields. A Journey which lasted three years. During that time I have met some extraordinary individuals, characters and people of myth and legend.

I simply love opal - did I mention that?

But what sets them apart? What makes them the most fascinating gemstone in the world. The simple answer is they are NEVER BORING. No two can be exactly the same.

A diamond is a diamond is a diamond is... Yawn!

BORING!

But the flash of color rolling over the top of a highly polished cabochon, changes with each and every tilt. The reds and greens and blues and purples mesmerize the eye and creates the worlds only truly individual gemstone.

But with such beauty comes danger...

Many years ago, opal started to outsell diamonds, and diamond merchants of the day came up with a devious plan to discredit opals by spreading a rumour (which soon caught on) that opals were unlucky.

But this is not why they are 'Dangerous'. That is a result of being unlucky another way.

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A far more insidious way because of the nature of the gemstone. They are made up of a lot of water - around 30% percent. On the face of it you might say - "So What" but it is the minuscule water which prevents the gemstone from drying up and cracking. When it does that, it looses it's color.

Opals come in basically three types. Black Opal, White Opal and a Grey Opal, which have nothing to do with the colors coming from the stone, but the color of the base material. I once had a client who was fooled into thinking that he had purchased Black Opal and when he showed me the gem, turned out to be a Black Onyx - all black - no color - the type you see in signet rings. Duhhh!

Boy was he upset, but it was a long way to go to try and get his money back!

The color which comes from inside the stone is called 'Play of Color' and generally lists Red Through to Oranges - Purples to Violets - Blues and Greens among the most usual. The combination of these colors is what makes opal so unique.

But they also come in three basic types, which is often confusing to the buyer.

Solid Opal is the most expensive, as it is all gemstone, while Doublets are often cut by splitting the solid gemstone into two halves, for example. This is terrific because it makes two mirror image opposites and is perfect for earrings.

Finally we have Triplets. These are made by gluing three sections together. The bottom is usually plastic these days, but can be made of onyx or potch - which is a colorless material found when mining opal. The middle layer is a VERY THIN slice of opal with the color showing, while to top layer is usually a domed clear material like glass, plastic or colorless quartz allowing the opal to show through.

The price drops down significantly from Solid - to Doublet - to Triplet. So beware you get what you pay for.

I hope this very brief introduction into the Worlds Best Gemstone will help you in your buying decision.

I simply love opal - I'm sure I mentioned that

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