OPAL GEMSTONE
Silica and water comprise the chemical composition of opals. This stone, with all its lustre and refined shape, commands the stature of national stone in the country of Peru. These have the shapes similar to that of pebbles found near the running water sources and grab the attention of gemstones because of the transparent surface and rainbow of colours spread vividly throughout. This stone is the birthstone for those born under the zodiac sign Libra and is used as a healer in correcting sleeping abnormalities too.
Australia is holding 95% of exports of opal. It is the place where opal was first located and was looked upon as the only source of Opal in the world at the very start. This gemstone has the capability to give aesthetic satisfaction to the buyers who can have varying tinges of very prestigious gemstones like topaz, amethyst, sapphire in a single stylishly cut opal. This stone provides perfect panorama of colours to gemstone lovers, artistically speaking. Andamooka, Lightening Ridge and White are the most important regions in Australia having the best deposits of Opal in the world.
Opals are very brittle in nature due to their water content and so prove to be very challenging to lapidaries. These are more or less watery silicas in which varying proportions of water can be detected. Opals may break apart under high temperature and pressure conditions and so are stored with precision for better shelf life.
Opals are normally oil-treated or seal-treated with artificial resin to get the desired storability. These are usually kept in moist cotton based cloth or storage material so that its shine is retained for longer time. Opal is found in large number of varieties. Blue Opal, Ethiopian Opal, Pink Opal, White Opal, Yellow Opal and Fire Opal are few of the varieties that are known to possess healing properties and are used widely for meditation and relaxation purposes.
Opal is such a gemstone that does not fade away with longer use. Moisture from the wearer's skin helps it maintain shine and novelty. When not in use, these are kept covered with soft, linen cloth so that the shine and moisture is retained for long. Opal rings and pendants are some of the jewellery pieces very high in demand and one can choose them for party wears which do not have very high aesthetic value. Hence, the wearer can easily shift the focus of the onlookers from dress to statement jewellery made in opal.
Church's windows, Fire Opal, flame opal etc. are some of the expressions used to describe the versatility of colours and impressions that an opal provides to the finder. Opals are normally priced on the basis of how splendidly the rainbow of colours appears on the surface. This is the reason why it makes fabulous option for making gemstone jewellery, affordable as well as unique.
