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Opal Myths

– Opals bring bad luck

Many cultures have credited opal with supernatural origins and powers. Arabic legends say it falls from the heavens in flashes of lightning. Greek mythology stated that opals originated from Zeus’ joyful tears after winning the battle against the Titans. Meanwhile, Australian aborigines believed that the Creator came to Earth on a rainbow, leaving these colorful stones where his feet touched the ground. Europeans have long considered the gem a symbol of hope, purity, and truth.

However, that perception changed with the 1829 publication of Sir Walter Scott’s book, “Anne of Geierstein.” The story featured an enchanted princess who wore an opal that changed colors with her moods. But when a few drops of holy water extinguished the stone’s magic fire, the woman soon died. People began associating opals with bad luck. Within a year after publication of Scott’s book, opal sales in Europe fell by 50 percent.

When opal deposits were discovered in Australia after 1850, the gemstone’s perception changed yet again. The country started to produce 95 percent of the world’s opal supply and many of the most beautiful specimens. People once again clamored to wear opal jewelry.

– Opals need to be stored in water to prevent cracking.

Australian Opal is actually non-porous, meaning nothing can get into the stone, hence, adding water to it will effectively do nothing for your stone.

– Opals are very fragile.

Yes, opal is more fragile than some other gemstones but it is not as fragile as people think. Opal is roughly the same hardness as glass, coming in between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale; turquoise is comparable at 5 to 6 on the hardness scale.

– Opals need to be conditioned with oils

Opals don’t need to be treated with oil to keep them looking their best.

When an Australian opal is polished, it is sealed. Adding oils will not add life to your opal.

– Australian opals can’t get wet

Solid Australian opals won’t be damaged by getting wet as opposed to Ethiopian opals that can loose its color & shine after getting wet.

Opal Types

Despite the abundance of different opal varieties, five opal types take the lead: white/light opal, crystal opal, gray/dark opal, boulder opal and black opal.

White/Light Opal

Light or white opal refers to any opal with an N7-N9 body tone and can be common or precious. Light opals range from colorless to light gray, while white opals have a white to pale gray body. These opals can be transparent to semi-opaque, but most have a milky tone.

White is the most common opal color and most abundant precious opal type. It’s mined in Australia’s Coober Pedy.

Crystal opal

Crystal opal is pure hydrated silica. It does not contain any oxides (the material that turns an Opal white or Black); Crystal Opal is translucent so you can see straight through it when you hold it up to a bright light.

Crystal opals can display any colour of the spectrum.

Primary sources of crystal opals, Coober Pedy, South Australia, and White Cliffs, New South Wales, are producing some of the most beautiful crystal opals.

Gray/Dark Opal

Gray or dark opal is between white and black, at N5-N6 body tones. Also called “semi-black opals,” these common or precious opals have a medium gray body tone that isn’t dark enough to be black opal. The majority of dark opal comes from Lightning Ridge or Mintabie, Australia. This type is less common than white opal but shows a brighter play-of-color.

Black Opal

Black opal is the rarest opal variety, defined by a dark gray to black body tone from N1-N4. These opals can be transparent black crystal opals or opaque.

Most gem-quality black opals come from Lightning Ridge, Australia. Black precious opal has the brightest play-of-color of any opal.

Boulder Opal

Boulder opal is a combination of precious opal and host rock, typically ironstone or sandstone, though some contain vegetation or fossilized wood instead of rock.

The precious opal occurs as patches and/or thin seams attached or surrounded by the host rock. This happens when pre-formed opal silica water seeps into the rock’s crevices before the opal hardens.

The main source of boulder opal is Queensland, Australia.

Opal Mining

Solid Australian opals are natural opal gemstones that have been mined straight from the ground as a rough piece of opal, which has then been cut and polished to perfection. Most Australian opal is ethically mined by small teams in outback locations like Lightning Ridge or White Cliffs in NSW, Coober Pedy in South Australia, and Winton, Jundah and Opalton in Western Queensland. Rough opal can take the form of a nobby, be found in a seam, or be uncovered in its ironstone host rock, as is the case with Queensland boulder opal. Australia is the world’s leading producer of commercial, gem grade opal and is recognised as producing the finest opal in the world.

Opal Care

Clean your opal jewelry using warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush.

Avoid any harsh chemicals when wearing opal jewelry.

Avoid direct contact with perfume and lotions.

If you need to store your opal away for a period of time, simply place it in a padded cloth bag for protection and store it away.

Remove your opal jewelry before playing sports, gardening, household cleaning, moving furniture etc.

It’s important to note that opals should never be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, as the extreme vibrations may cause the opal to crack.