All About Opals
Basics
Opals were first commercially discovered in 1849 in Southern Australia. Since then, sources have been appearing all over the globe, with Australia’s considered the finest. Several types of opals have been discovered in the past 170 years; from white, jelly, fire, boulder, and the ever coveted black opal, (actually blue in colour).
Opal is made up of hydrated silica spheres. Grids of silica spheres 0.2 microns in size create red play-of-color flashes
Solids, Doublets and Triplets
An opal will often be cut into thin slices before it’s made into jewellery. A triplet is when a slice of opal is put between a black and clear slice of another material to give it more strength while still appearing as an opal. A doublet only utilizes the back black piece. Both a triplet and doublet are usually considered to be used in lower quality opal jewellery, however some exceptions do occur.
A solid opal is truly the full stone being used and will not usually appear as a slice, but more of a dome. This is ideal for quality opals as it maintains more of the stone’s original fire. (Fire is a name for the various colours in an opal).
Opals and Luck
You may have heard something about opals being bad luck. This has not always been the case however, as for thousands of years opals were actually the luckiest of gems. This all changed In 1829 when a novel called Anne of Geierstein was released. A character named the Baroness of Arnheim wears an opal talisman with supernatural powers. According to the story, the Baroness dies when a drop of holy water falls onto the opal and drains the stone of its colour, leading to the myth about opals being bad luck. This myth about bad luck was also pushed by large diamond companies at the time as opals represented a threat to their profits.
This myth was taken so seriously that over the next 20 years opal sales dropped 50% world wide.
Caring for your Opal
Caring for your opal can be easy so long as you remember a few important things.
Opals are a relatively soft stone. If you’re wearing a pendant or earrings you are fine for most occasions, however rings and bracelets will need to be worn more occasionally and with some caution. For all opal pieces however it is important to avoid rough activities such as sport or gardening.
When washing your hands try to be mindful and remove any opals you may be wearing as the soap may be harmful to it (once or twice won’t be an issue).
Opals like moisture but don’t like being submerged in water, as this can lead to the colour leaving your stone. Ideally, keep them close to a bathroom so the excess moisture can be utilized.
A small amount of glycerin once every 6 months can be good for keeping in the opal’s moisture. Glycerin can be purchased at most drug stores for a low price. Apply with a Q-tip and remove the excess with a soft cloth.
Never use jewellery cleaners or chemicals on an opal. To clean, simply use a finger print removal cloth with no chemicals or anti-tarnishing agent. Opals are very porous and will absorb these additives.
Opal Fun Facts
Opal miners are known to have what’s called opal fever and mine for days on end in the hot Australian sun.
The town of Coober Pedey Australia is a massive opal mine and the residents actually live underground to escape the heat. While many homes have become popular B & B’s there have been issues with guests occasionally digging up the kitchen in search of opals.
Depending on the type of opal, it can consist of as much as 20% water that has formed into a silicate substance.
Opals are found in many countries from Canada, Ethiopia, to Mexico, but Australian Opals are considered the best of the best.
The world’s largest opal is named Olympic Australis, coming in at an astonishing 17,000 carats. It was found in 1956 in the Australian town of Coober Pedy. It was valued at $2.5M in 1997.