Types of opal - deposits and shades of stones. Opal: description of the stone and jewelry made from it. Magical properties of opals

Opal is one of the oldest stones. It was known back in 250 BC. In Eastern countries it was considered a symbol of fidelity and hope. In Europe, there was a belief that opal brings misfortune. The name of the stone comes from the ancient Sanskrit word “fell” - precious stone. In Greek it sounded like “opal”, in Latin it sounded like “opalus”.

In the photo there are earrings: 1 - with opals and diamonds, 2 - "Hummingbird" with orange Mexican opal, orange sapphires and green garnet, 3 - with white opal, 4 - with boulder opal, 5 - with multi-colored opals, 6 - with lilac opals

This is one of the most beautiful stones on Earth, some types of which shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, and has an amazing history. Jewelry with opals was a desirable type of jewelry for the patricians of Ancient Greece and Rome, because they were not only beautiful, but also served as reliable amulets that could protect their owner from all misfortunes and troubles. There is a well-known story of Senator Nonius, who did not want to part with his treasure - a ring decorated with a large opal, even under pain of exile. Consul Mark Antony deprived the senator of all his property, but was never able to take possession of the jewel he liked.

Then opal gained incredible popularity among thieves, horse thieves and robbers. This was facilitated by the statement of the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, whose crown was decorated with luxurious opal, that this stone was capable of making its owner invisible in difficult times. The thieves hoped to be able to evade pursuit by becoming invisible by putting an opal ring on their finger.

And the nobility turned away from this stone. In addition, during the early Middle Ages, this stone became associated with evil and misfortune, which is associated with Scandinavian myths, according to which opal was created by the blacksmith god Volund from the eyes of children. There is a version that the stone was called the “Eye of Evil”; everyone began to avoid it except witches and sorcerers, who adopted it to perform their magical rituals.

For a long time, jewelry with opals was treated with caution, getting rid of them at the right opportunity, since any misfortune was associated with their supposedly negative influence. Only when the European deposits of this stone were depleted and Australian opals began to arrive on the market, jewelers managed to change the public’s opinion towards them. Now these stunningly beautiful gems are widely used in jewelry and jewelry.

Description of opal

Opal is an amorphous variety of quartz called silica hydrate. The color palette of opals includes over 100 shades, the most common of which are white, bluish, blue, yellowish, and black tones. The color of stones is affected by various impurities, including oxides of calcium, aluminum, magnesium, iron, sodium, potassium, etc.

A characteristic feature of opals is their ability to luminesce. White opals have a glow of white, bluish, reddish and greenish tones, fire opals luminesce in various colors - from greenish to brown. The most spectacular are black opals, which shine with all the colors of the rainbow. This rainbow color shift is called opalescence.

Opal belongs to silicas, consisting of silicon oxide and water. Its water content ranges from 3 to 13%, in rare cases – up to 30%. When the ambient humidity is low, the stone loses its properties - shine, transparency, etc.

Rings: 1 - with opal and diamonds, 2 - with opal and sapphires, 3 - with red opal. 4 - ring with opal and enamel, 5 - ring with fire opal, 6 - pendant with black opal and diamonds

Varieties of opal

There are 2 groups of opals:

• precious (or noble;
• semi-precious (or ordinary) stones.

Precious opals are transparent and have opalescence, which is expressed in a rainbow play of colors on the surface of the stone. Semi-precious stones, as a rule, do not have iridescence on the surface, are opaque, and have a dull color.

Opal varieties: pink; lactic; gummy; opal-agate, painted in layers, they are also called opal-onyx; mossy (with mossy inclusions); woody (pseudomorphoses of opal on wood, often preserving the wood pattern. Nowadays, this type of opal is very popular all over the world); “cat's eye” (opal with a bright green concentrically zonal color. This is the rarest and most expensive variety).

The most known species opals:

• fire opal (another name is boulder) - a transparent variety of noble opal with a bright fiery orange and red hue with virtually no opalescence;
• hyalite is a colorless, watery-transparent stone, similar to glass;
• girazole (“sun” or “sky opal”) is a transparent variety of noble opal, having a white or blue color and opalescence in shades of reddish-golden and blue tones;
• harlequin (oriental opal) is a precious, transparent stone with a spectacular polychrome pattern with opalescence in blue, red, green and yellow tones on a fiery background;
• black opal (Australian) - a stone that has a black color or shades of dark purple, dark blue, dark green or burgundy tones with red opalescence; (in great demand on the world market);
• prazopal (chrysopal) is an opaque variety of opal with an apple-green tint;
• wax opal is an opaque or translucent opal that has a light yellowish-brownish color;
• irisopal - light brownish or colorless opal, having a uniform tint, mined in Mexico;
• porcelain-shaped cacholong (pearl opal) is a type of opaque, milky-white opal, the surface of which shimmers with greenish or bluish tones;
• royal (royal) opal - a stone, the central part of which is painted in dark red tones or shades of bronze, and is bordered by a bright green tone, with an outer unpainted zone;
• Peruvian opal is an opaque stone with a pastel bluish-greenish or pinkish color.

Opal deposits

Currently, Australia is the leader in the supply of precious opals to the market: it accounts for 97% of the world production of these stones. Countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Kazakhstan can also boast of mining precious opals.

Photo: 1 - black opal, pink tourmaline, opal and pearls, 2 - pendant with opal and diamonds, 3 - necklace with carved opal (in the center)

Magical properties of opals

In eastern countries, opal has always been held in high esteem, as it was a symbol of love, faith and compassion.

Cacholong, which has a milky white color associated with petrified milk, was an amulet for pregnant women and young mothers. Such an amulet was given to the bride before the wedding to help conceive a child and further protect the life of the woman and her baby. It is believed that the stone helps strengthen the family, giving health to all its members, peace and tranquility.

Since ancient times, opal has been attributed the properties of protecting the owner from enemies, insight in difficult situations, which is important for making the right decisions for representatives of such professions as doctors, politicians, teachers, lawyers, etc.

Healing properties of opals

In modern lithotherapy, opals are used to treat the nervous system, pituitary gland and pineal gland.

Opal cut

Only precious fire opals undergo a round brilliant cut. The bulk of these stones are usually processed in the form of convex and flat cabochons (the former are used for rings, the latter for brooches and pendants).

Opal jewelry

Precious opals are bright and striking stones, so they are used as a central accent in jewelry. Opals are used to make pendants, rings, brooches, bracelets, and earrings. You can make beads or necklaces from ordinary, ornamental opals, but there can only be one precious opal!

Who is opal jewelry suitable for?

There are so many shades of opals that clear recommendations are excluded. We can only say with confidence that white opals will suit everyone, since the color is neutral. It is also worth noting that jewelry with opal is most suitable for the Summer color type - as mysterious as a stone shimmering with reflections. We are, of course, mostly talking about bluish opal. But the brighter the opal, the more contrasting the color of its owner’s appearance should be. Fire opal will decorate women of the autumn color type.

The name of this stone presumably comes from Lat. "opalus" or Sanskrit "upala" is a precious stone. From a physical point of view, opals are silica hydrogels. In other words, opal is an amorphous quartz containing from 6 to 10% water. Some types of opals are able to absorb a certain amount of water, and when dry, lose it, cracking; hence their nickname - "cracker".

They are painted very diversely - with all the colors of the rainbow. There are more than a hundred varieties of natural opals of various shades, which are caused by impurities of manganese, nickel, iron and other elements.

Varieties of natural opal

Noble, black opal, it is also the most valuable among opals. This gem has incredible beauty. The combination of shimmering colors on a dark, contrasting background can be very diverse. This stone can sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow: red, gold, green, blue and violet, or a combination of colors: blue with green, blue with violet, violet, blue and red, and so on. The more shades a stone has absorbed, the more evenly the color is distributed and the more contrasting the photo, the more expensive the stone is. For example, a fine, black opal weighing two grams - 10 carats - is worth about $20,000 dollars if it contains all five primary colors. The assessment here is rather subjective. It all depends on the beauty of the stone and the opinion of a certain person, be it the seller or the buyer.

Translucent with opalescence in light blue tones. White opal is sometimes also called milk opal.

Fire opal- transparent or translucent stones, they can be almost red, wine-yellow, and shimmer at a certain angle.

Hyalite- transparent opals that resemble glass or a drop of water.

Hydrophane- when saturated with water, it becomes translucent, porous, and when dry it becomes cloudy.

Boulder opal- similar to black opal, the only difference being that the opal layer is very thin and rests on a brown iron-containing base. Boulders come with interesting "mountains" and "valleys" on the surface. Such stones are preferred by people who are “sophisticated” in jewelry. Opals almost always have piquant ironstone inclusions at the base and a variety of shapes and colors on the surface, making them a desirable material for designers.

Girasol- colorless, transparent with a bluish tint, sun stone

Royal opal- in which the central part is dark red, purple or bronze in color and is surrounded by a bright green border.

The stone is a milky white color and is an opaque variety of porcelain opal. Sometimes it is called pearl opal, but in fact it is an independent mineral. It is often mentioned in various books about stones. There is a version that its name is derived from the Kalmyk words “kahe” - river and “halong” - stone. It is no coincidence that cacholong is also called Kalmyk agate. According to another version, the name of the stone comes from the Turkic word “kanlon” - “beautiful stone”.

It is found on all continents, but Australian deposits account for about 96% of all world production. Most Australian opals are mined in Coober Pedy in South Australia. The Boulder type is mined in Queensland. In the state of New South Wales, opal is mined with a predominant black color (with a play of colors from black-blue to dark gray). This type is considered the rarest, as black opal accounts for only about 5% of the total opal mined in Australia.

Precious opals are also mined in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Czech Republic, SNA (Nevada).

Fire and honey opals are often found in Mexico and Brazil. Transparent hydrophanes have been found in Sudan. However, after the fact of cruel exploitation of people in mining was recorded, opal mining in Sudan was temporarily stopped and export was banned. The deposit in Ethiopia is well known. There I mine beautiful opals with a brown base. They are also called chocolate opals.

Application of opals

In chain stores and in mass-produced jewelry, opals often use doublets and triplets. Opal doublets are stones in which a solid opal top is glued onto a black obsidian or windstone base. A triplet is still the same thing, only a transparent dome made of rock crystal, transparent glass, quartz or plastic is glued to the surface of the opal plate. When purchasing opal products in a store, you need to confidently ask about the natural origin of the stone. Because in a solid product it is difficult to see the lower part of the opal, especially if it is rolled. Without checking such a stone, you risk greatly overpaying for an imitation. Painting a white opal black and impregnating the opals with synthetic resin is also considered a fake.

If opal is stored in a room with low humidity, it may become cloudy and crack due to loss of moisture. Therefore, jewelry with opal should be worn as often as possible, since the gemstone can take the moisture it needs from the environment or the skin of the person who wears it. Opal should also be protected from sudden changes in temperature, from contact with fats and cosmetics; it should be periodically immersed in water or wrapped in a damp cloth.

Medicinal properties

Magic properties

There is an opinion that black opal can harm a person with a weak character, as it increases the craving for wicked pleasure. White opals, on the contrary, enhance spirituality and give a person peace and harmony with the world around him. There is an opinion that opal helps talented people to a greater extent, developing their abilities. And if you set the opal in gold, its magical properties double.

The mineral has a special favor for Pisces. It will give some of them the ability to sense danger in advance. It will also be useful for Scorpios.

In this article:

One of the most beautiful stones is opal. Its properties are due to its very complex structure. After all, the color highlights that this stone has are not caused by any inclusions, but by the mineral itself. That is why the stone has fallen and is so valuable.

Description and varieties

Opal is a silica hydrogel. Its formula is identical to that of quartz, but unlike it, it is an amorphous form. In addition, opal contains water; a noble stone contains from 6 to 10%, and an ignoble stone contains up to 30%. This stone is fastidious in care. It can both absorb water and release it. Moreover, the release of water causes the stone to crack and become damaged.

The beauty of opals

Natural opals can be painted in all the colors of the rainbow; there are more than a hundred varieties; the shades of this mineral are determined by impurities such as nickel, iron and other elements.

Varieties of opal are a class of stones that are so numerous that it is impossible to classify them. Let's highlight the most common types:

• Noble opal. This type of mineral is also called black. It is the most beautiful among all opals. Characterized by a combination of colors that are emphasized by a dark background. There can be several shades, and there are also stones that shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. The cost of stones can reach up to two thousand dollars per carat, almost as much as diamonds.
• White opal. The opalescence of such a stone is represented by white-blue tones, and the color itself is translucent with shades of milky.
• Fiery. A completely or semi-transparent stone that shimmers at an angle. The color can be red or wine yellow, looking as if the stone is covered in fire.
• Hyalite is a completely transparent mineral with a glass-like structure.
• Hydrophane is cloudy and becomes transparent when saturated with water. This effect is explained by the high degree of porosity.
• Baudelaire - Somewhat similar to black opal, only the layer of opal is very thin and sits on a brown base that contains iron. Opals almost always have inclusions, which create patterns on the surface.
• Jirahzol is a transparent opal with a slight bluish tint.
• Tsarsky - the center has a shade of red and is surrounded by a bright green border.
• Cacholong is an opaque variety of porcelain opal. The second name of the stone is pearl.

Mineral deposits

Stone big size can be found rarely, most often it is found in the form of thin layers or lenses. About 97% of all deposits are located in Australia. The rest is mined in Mexico, Guatemala, Japan, USA, Brazil and Honduras. The main two varieties are Australian and Ethiopian opals.

It is so common in Australia that it is the national mineral. The stone from there contains all the colors of the rainbow. The aborigines even have a legend that the color of the mineral was created by a rainbow that fell to the ground. Several types of opal can be found in Australia, from white to black, which is less than 5% of the world's opal.

Opals originally from Ethiopia appeared on the market less than 20 years ago. Ethiopian deposits are hydrothermal, the stones were formed in rhyolite and basalt rocks during the filling of voids in them. Opalescence is colorful and multicolored, the most common colors being blue, yellow and others.

Properties of the stone

It is believed that opal contributes to the development in the person who wears it of a magical gift, the ability to predict, clairvoyance, and fortune telling. Wearing opal, as Indians believe, affects children, enhances their health and thirst for knowledge.

Ring with opal

Different cultures have different ideas about what the properties of a mineral are, and accordingly, different attitudes towards it are formed. Thus, in the East, opal is a symbol of deceptive hopes, and in the West, on the contrary, it is a symbol of love, hope and trust. Opal is believed to protect against many diseases, particularly those affecting the eyes and nervous system.

This stone has diagnostic abilities. It is capable of changing color while its owner is unaware of the onset of the disease. This happens because when the opal dries, it changes its properties, which is accompanied by an increase in temperature.

Opal is a stone of inspiration; it can influence the imagination and enhance inspiration. Wearing the stone by creative people activates their abilities. Since the stone contains a lot of water, and its property is cleaning, then accordingly it has such abilities. Water also enhances feelings and desires, including passion and love.

Magic properties

Due to its structural characteristics, each stone can have the following effects:

• Fire opal has a protective effect. Its bearer becomes the owner of much more power than he had before. Internal reserves, strength and energy are included in the work. Fire opal is a symbol of hope, it promises processes of change and facilitates them. It is recommended to wear this stone to people who have experienced emotional turmoil in order to leave everything behind. Opal's magical properties include the ability to attract money and enhance passion between two people.
• Blue opal is the main stone for fulfilling desires. It is also necessary for those who want to go beyond the boundaries of physical reality.
• Blue-green opal opens the way to new experiences and helps you gain a different outlook on life. It has the ability to relieve strong emotional stress and experiences.
• Green opal is a stone of health. It has a rejuvenating, restorative and cleansing effect on the entire body. Helps achieve stability and mutual understanding in relationships. Promotes emotional uplift. It opens up perspective and gives meaning to life.
• Pink opal will help you concentrate on the level of spirituality. It activates abilities and cures headaches.
• Black opal enhances attractiveness. It is one of the stones that can attract good luck. Valued for its energy. Helps you gain the desire to change your life.

Opalite has medicinal properties:

• white opal helps improve digestion;
• fiery treats emotional turmoil and disorders of the reproductive system;
• green strengthens the immune system and helps destroy viruses;
• blue-green affects the liver and heart.

Artificial opal

At the end of the 20th century, they learned how to make opal artificially. It was not easy to create a synthetic opal - it was necessary to exactly repeat the structure of a natural one or recreate the process of its formation. The difficulty was that this process takes thousands of years. Therefore, the laboratory began to test various methods for recreating the stone. It consisted of many spheres of small diameter, which played the role of a diffraction grating.

Several types of artificial stone are now known. Some of them are of no worse quality than natural ones. The fact is that, due to its complex structure, natural stone is very finicky. Any improper storage may cause it to become damaged and crack. Artificial minerals do not have this property because they have a more perfect structure, and sometimes stabilizing substances are used in their production.

Thus, if you choose between two types, then it is quite logical to give preference to a stone made by man, because its qualities are often superior, and the price is many times lower.

Application of opals

Precious opals are used in jewelry. Their main distinguishing property is the presence of a special rainbow opalescence effect. The best samples have a very high. In order for the effects characteristic of this mineral to be better manifested, it is cut. Most often, opals are cut into cabochons or other convex shapes, depending on the raw material.

You can often find opals in the form of doublets and triplets in jewelry stores. They are not imitation, but only part of such jewelry is a real stone. A doublet is a stone in which a transparent stone is glued to a black base. The triplet, in addition, contains a transparent dome on the surface. The black base is most often made of helistone or obsidian, and the dome on top can be quartz, plastic or crystal.

Therefore, when buying products in a store, you need to ask what material they are made of and where they were obtained. Pay attention to this question if the stone in the product cannot be completely seen. Impregnating clear opal with smoke or synthetic dyes to turn it black is also considered counterfeit.

The opal mineral is a stone that requires certain storage and care conditions. He cannot be inactive for a long time; the stone must be worn. In addition, a room with low humidity can have a detrimental effect on it; it can become cloudy and covered with cracks. It should also be protected from sudden changes in temperature and from contact with chemicals and cosmetics.

Opal stone is a stone of wondrous beauty, one of the most commonly found in nature. The uniqueness of this mineral occupies one of the extraordinary places among others. precious stones. The extraordinary attractiveness of opal enchants any connoisseur of the aristocratic and refined. A specific feature is the iridescent shimmer, enhanced by the phenomenon of opalescence. The silvery pink and dull white reflections found in the middle of the stone are very eye-catching. In nature, there are stones of various colors and shades. Iridescent inclusions in the depths of the mineral give its appearance a truly inexplicable charm.

Rainbow opal is a stone of fabulous charm. In various nooks and crannies of the world, on different lands and in different countries, there are all kinds of legends about the origins inherent in the culture of individual nationalities.
Mention in ancient writings of the triumph of Zeus over the Titans. When the tears of joy of the supreme god falling to the ground turned into stones of heavenly beauty.

In Australia there is a belief about the creator of the world. He came to his brainchild intending to pass on his knowledge to the living, and his power was so pure that his traces were covered with rainbow stones.
In India there is a legend about the origin of opals, dedicated to the goddess of love. A woman, escaping from the pursuit of men, tripped and fell to the ground at the same moment and scattered into many amazing stones.

Types of opals and their deposits

The first discovery of opals was in an area belonging to modern Latin America. It is also mined in Slovakia, India, Russia, Hungary, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, and the Czech Republic. Australia is the leader in the extraction of expensive minerals. Almost 90% of the most valuable opals entering the world market are mined here.
Many centuries ago, on the banks of reservoirs near volcanoes, trees grew that were losing branches. And rotting wood became opals through ash from volcanoes.

From the point of view of scientists, all types of opal are xyloids or trees, over time they took on a stony cut. They also have a name - “volcanic stones”, after all, they are formed in the voids that remain after the explosion of volcanoes. Opals were usually formed in soil and floristic areas. These stones contain natural elements such as water, minerals and crystals. They are easy to spot because they look like smooth wood and are found on the surface of the ground. The name of such a stone was recorded in ancient legends, it meant “noble stone”. It follows that man has received knowledge about this stone for a long time.

Black opal

Natural opal is dark, not necessarily black. One of the expensive versions of precious opals.