Fire opal is transparent or translucent with yellow to light orange to intense bright red body color that may or may not have play of color. Crystal opal is transparent or semi-transparent dark to light body tone with brilliant flashes of color swimming within it. Boulder opal is most often black opal with some of the ironstone matrix in which it occurred still intact-and has become quite a designer favorite. Black opal, regarded as king of the opal world, has a blue, gray or black body color that reveals a more dramatic play of color. Ranging from semi-transparent to opaque, opal occurs in several types: White opal, the most common, has a transparent or white body color with vibrant pastel flashes of rainbow color. But in common opal, where there is no play of color, the spheres are of varying sizes and are not uniformly stacked.” “The spaces between these spheres contain silica in solution. Precious opal, which shows play of color, is composed of minute uniform spheres of silica that are arranged together in an orderly three-dimensional grid, says Cody. It contains anywhere from about 3% to 20% of water in its silica structure. Basically opal is made up of water and silica (the main component in glass). The not-so-romantic description of opal is hydrated silicon dioxide. Stunning 143ct boulder opal courtesy of Emil Weis. Erica Courtney's exquisitely combined fire opal and paraiba earrings. Erica Courtney fire opal earrings with sherry pink spinels. Bryce Dallas at the Golden Globes 2016 wearing spectacular opal earrings. Angela Bassett also rocked the Emmys in earrings with four tiers of Ethiopian opal drops totaling 20 carats in 18K rose gold with diamonds by Sutra, Houston, Texas.ġ. Striking examples spied on recent red carpets include dramatic drop earrings with Bryce Dallas Howard in fire opals and Melissa Benoist in pink opals with peach moonstones at the Golden Globes, and America Ferrera in boulder opal with turquoise at the Oscars-by Los Angeles designer Irene Neuwirth. “Opal has never really been out of fashion, but certainly when major jewelry brands, bespoke designers, celebrities on the red carpet, and the global press are showing more opal, everyone is talking about it.” Opal is not a new phenomenon, says Jürgen Schütz of Emil Weis Idar-Oberstein, Germany, noting that gem houses like his own have been surviving on this gem for more than a century. Each stone has a mystery that encourages curiosity.” You can look into it and see a beautiful landscape. “There are no boundaries in working with opal. “The major fashion houses in Paris have really been pushing opal in recent years, influencing designers worldwide to design with the most alluring gem on the planet,” hails Andrew Cody of Cody Opal, Melbourne, Australia. Magical, mysterious, and lively-opal is captivating new admirers with its variety. October’s birthstone, opal is a gem of positive transformation, revealing the colorful attributes of those who wear it. Throughout history this chameleon gem has symbolized good fortune and was believed to inspire love and creativity, enhance self-confidence, and ease navigating life changes. The ancient naturalist known as Pliny the Elder, during the first century A.D., described opal as containing the glories of the most precious gems-the gentle fire of ruby, the rich purple of amethyst, the deep blue of sapphire, and the sea-green of emerald, all shining together in an indescribable union.
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