The Month of the Opal

An Opal Charis pendant. Courtesy of Opals Down Under

If you celebrate a birthday this month, why not drop a subtle hint to a loved one to spoil you with a sentimental something – your birthstone! 

October is the month of the exquisite opal – a truly unique stone displaying all the colours of the spectrum, like a rainbow captured in stone. It is one of six of the world’s most precious gemstones, along with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls.

Australia is the world’s leader in opal supply, producing approximately 95 per cent of the world’s “precious opal”, which is the type that gives a wonderful visual of colour. Common opal is found all over the world, but has no play of colour and therefore no value. Precious opal can be found in smaller quantities in other parts of the world, including Brazil and Mexico. Australian opal is easily distinguished by its brilliant display of colour and is known internationally to be the finest quality opal.

So what makes opals so captivating? Opal is composed of silica (a rigid gel form) and water. The wonderfully unique thing about opal is that when light is diffracted through the microscopic silica spheres in the structure of the opal, the colour will move and change depending on the angle the opal is viewed, creating a kaleidoscope of colour and beauty

There are four main groups of opal – light opal, crystal opal, black opal and boulder opal, all with a different composition to create diverse colouring as the names suggest. All four types are used to make jewellery, including pendants for necklaces, earrings and rings.

Opal is mined all over Australia, with the main regions being Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, the South Australian mines of Cooper Peedy and Andamooka, and the areas surrounding the townships of Winton and Quilpie in Central Queensland. Opal miners brave treacherous landscape and intense weather conditions to unearth this special stone – a testament to just how precious the gem is.

According to Opals Down Under Advertising and Internet Coordinator Rhys Fox, the individuality of the stone is what makes it hard to match. “Opal has a very unique appeal. Not one stone will be exactly the same as another. All the varieties of patterns and colours that can be seen in opal, from a designer’s point of view, are breathtaking. For nature to basically create its own art in a tiny stone is phenomenal.”

Rhys has been working with the Sunshine Coast family business Opals Down Under for almost two years. They have a long love affair with opals, starting out mining opals in 1962, then naturally progressing to professionally cutting opals. They have now established themselves as leaders in opal supply and innovative opal jewellery design.

Opal is not only one of the world’s most precious stones, it is also one of the rarest and is highly sought-after by customers around the world. Most of Rhys’s buyers are from overseas, both online and in the store.

“It seems, at times, the international market has more interest in opal than Australians do,” he says. “However, Australians are catching up as the majority of our custom settings we’ve done lately have all been local, which is fantastic to see.”

Although opal is a softer stone than the other precious stones, the finest quality opals will retail for similar prices. However, purchasing such a beautiful gift for yourself or someone else doesn’t have to break the bank. It really depends on what you have to spend.

Rhys says there is something for everyone and they try to cater for all budgets, from opal jewellery in sterling silver or gold-plated sterling silver, starting at around $A50 up to custom settings in silver, yellow or white gold that cost thousands of dollars.

Some couples are choosing opal engagement rings over diamonds for something unique. And opals aren’t just for women – opal cufflinks and men’s rings are also popular.

 

 

October birthday or not, such a beautiful gemstone set in your jewellery of choice would be both an exquisite acquisition and a great investment.

 

---

Opal Facts

 

• Opal is from the Greek word opallios meaning “to see a colour change”.
• Doublets and triplets are not solid opals. Doublets consist of a very thin slice of opal cemented onto a black backing. Triplets have a third layer of glass or quartz on top.
• Solid opals cannot be damaged by water. However, doublets and triplets can be damaged by prolonged exposure to water, because the water can seep between the layers.
• Black opals come in every colour of the rainbow. “Black” refers to the comparatively dark body tone of the stone when compared to the milky body tone of white opals.
• Black opals are the most rare and valuable type of opal and can be more valuable per carat than diamonds.
• The world’s most valuable black opal is the Aurora Australis, found in 1938 at Lightning Ridge. It weighs 180 carats, measures approximately 76mm by 45mm and is worth more than $A1 million.
  

 

Courtesy of www.opalsdownunder.com.au