What Is Opal Used to Make?

Opals are mostly found in Australia but also in parts of Europe, North America, South America and Africa. This gemstone has been mined since the times of the Roman Empire and is used in jewelry as a gemstone component. Opal comes as cabochons, faceted gemstones and beads. Because this gemstone can become brittle if not kept moist, opal is mostly used for jewelry worn in damper areas of the body such as on a necklace pendant.

The Facts

Opal is a gemstone that varies in all colors. It is commonly used for pendants, earrings, beads and necklaces. According to the wholesale jewelry supply outlet Fire Mountain Gems, "The natural opals are noncrystalline gemstones that can contain up to 30 percent water. They are actually a hardened silica gel. It's possible for them to dry out and crack, and they are relatively soft and fragile gemstones. They rank between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Mohs' hardness scale." It is because of this softness that opals are mostly used for jewelry that can be worn on a moist area of the body such as on the face, neck and bosom area. The moisture helps to protect and prolong opal's brittle nature.

History

Records of opal mining date back to early Roman times. The name opal is derived from the Sanskrit word "upala," which means precious stone. There are several historical accounts about where this gemstone comes from. One account is that they were discovered in Australia, where aborigines believe that their creator came down to earth and the place his feet touched the earth became opal. In ancient India, however, the belief was that an ancient mother goddess transformed a virgin goddess of the rainbow into opal because she was being courted by other gods such as Vishnu. In relation to the historical use of opal, Fire Mountain Gems says, "The gemstone has been associated with the sacral chakra, imbalances of which can cause problems with addictions. Some believe that opal can help moderate and harmonize sexual desires."

Types

Opals come in three basic varieties: opalescent, fire opals and common opals. Opalescent opals are the most precious of this gemstone and come in a rainbow spectrum of color. The distinguishing characteristic of this type of opal is the way the light bounces off the translucent gemstone, causing it to display a myriad of colors. Fire opals are yellow to red in color and can be transparent. Common opals come in all color varieties and are called so because of the lack of the luster and pearl-like color of precious opals.

Features

The opals used in gemstones are cut as cabochons, faceted stones or beads. The cabochon cut, which is a round dome on a flat back, is used for earrings, pendants and necklaces. According to Gemstone.org, "In order to best bring out the play of colour in a fine opal, the stones are cut and polished to round or oval cabochons, or any other softly domed shape, depending on the raw material." Sometimes a thin layer of opal is placed under a polished piece of quartz to form a cabochon; these opals are known as triplets or doublets.

Fire opals and precious opals that are translucent to transparent are usually cut into faceted stones for earrings, rings and also pendants. Other varieties of opal are mostly cut into different shapes and sizes of opal beads used in stringed jewelry such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

Geography

Australia has the largest deposit of opal in the world, and because of this, is considered to have the most precious forms of the gemstone in larger quantities as well. "Almost 95 percent of all opals come from Australian mines. The remaining 5 percent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil's north, also in the U.S. states of Idaho and Nevada, but recently the stones have also been found in Ethiopia and in the West African country of Mali," says Gemstone.org. Opal is also found in South Africa, the Czech Republic and Honduras.

References

• Opals: Fire Mountain Gems
• Opal: Gemstone.org
• Opal Mineral Data