Find out more about the Opal - Characteristics, types, care

Find out more about the Opal - Characteristics, types, care

OPAL fascinating nature

Opal: amorphous, hydrated silica, SiO ₂ × nH ₂ O.

manufactured in our own workshop with Boulder Opal Ring

The name Opal is derived from the ancient Indian word "upala" = stone. For many minerals lovers opal is the "king of gems. Opals developed since the turn of the previous century, a sought-after gem to gain in importance steadily. Popular was this Arch through the rainbow-like colors in its interior and on its surface. Depending on the angle and lighting changes colors, and seem to lie in different planes, which gives the stone occasionally a mysterious blur.

This so-called "opalescence" is produced by the internal structure of the gemstone itself. The resulting colors are therefore called structural colors. Opals are made of micro
scopic spheres made of amorphous silica (diameter: 1 / 10000 mm) constructed.
of balls crushed and finally the reflected light appears in a variety of colors. The larger the beads give the red fire, the smaller the green to violet. - The Opal is divided into two main categories Lighter or Darker Opal. Apart from the play of color in the precious opal is found all opals a base or background color, by the degree and type of impurity, the gemstone is proper cause is. This background colors
vary from white, gray, half black to black. There are orange and brown opals found. These stones have no great significance and are generally not very valuable. An opal in the above mentioned primary colors can be transparent or translucent milky. Therefore, sub-groups formed at the light and dark types, such as light crystal opal, black opal crystal etc. These bright and dark opals (also white and black opals) are known as precious opals. There are also the red fire opals and the common colorless opal.

Opals emerge where silica gel small cracks or voids in the earth fill. About 100 million years ago, our silica naturally dried seas and extinct volcanoes, rare dissolved. Over millions of years this has then caught in cavities and a long-running process to silicon dioxide cured in. During this process, an electrolytic process has ensured that tiny little beads strung have a particular pattern in. A large part of Australia's inland was once covered by the sea, debris left behind which and the proper environment for the formation of opals so created. The raw stones usually appear as irregular bands rock on, sometimes they are also the remains of large marine animals such as the shells of dead snails and mussels, completely replaced by opal. This type of opal is a variety of nature, whose education today is still unsettled.

The opals are among the group of crystals but differ significantly in physical properties. The high water content (3-30%) due opals are very delicate gems that must be handled with great care and carried. The scratch hardness is relatively low and is approximately at 5 This means that opals are scratched with a knife. In comparison, the other crystals (such as amethyst or Bergkristal) a scratch hardness of 7 Opals are brittle and splintery break. With increasing water loss opals cracked and ca
n lose their color play. It is therefore essential to ensure that opals are exposed to higher temperatures. Storage in damp cotton wool delays the aging of the gems and get their lights.

Precious opals are almost never cut, faceted, but so that the color game comes out perfectly. The usual form is that of cut cabochons. Processed so they are found together in jewelry.

The most important sites for opals today are in the deserts of Australia, in which they are funded in part under hazardous conditions.

BLACK OPAL

The black opal is the rarest and most valuable opal. This type is easily darkness of the background or the color can be seen by. Often, black opals, only a thin layer or a color stripe on the black to "Potch" (Opal without play of color) is gray. The individual patterns are as complex as the idea of an artist. Few realize that 99.9% of the amount that has bright, dark shining jewel in only two small spots in the world - even in small quantities Mintabie - is mined and LIGHTNING RIDGE.

The BLACK CRYSTAL OPAL is mainly mined in Lightning Ridge. The colors are often of great depth. With Crystal Opal Opal with play of color is called dark background without the play of color is, however, as it were in black. held against strong light, the Opal has a translucent, such as light and dark paper placed on, the color or color match must be remain the same. Opal is generally amorphous, with no crystal structure in the mineralogical

WHITE OPAL

The bright Opal (also known as white opal) is Coober Pedy (South Australia) in mined. This is the largest opal field in Australien.Sie are not as rare as the black varieties, but can also have a lively colors. As the name suggests, allows the stone comes in transparent, translucent and cream-colored shade of milky color with before, often soft pastel shade produces a. The "crystal" translucent nature is alive with color inclusions in intricate patterns, variations associated. Bright Opals the various categories are: WHITE or Milk Opal - Opal is translucent and the white base color is more translucent than the broken colors. This JELLY OPAL (jelly-like Opal) - is transparent, but a little unclear. The colors are not sharp or focused as in the crystal Opal -. CRYSTAL OPAL - this group includes the Opal of the translucent or transparent. His color clarity is very sharp. All opal fields, these opaline.

Boulder

Boulder is a special opaline, which is found in Queensland. The opals from Queensland are often the natural rock (sandstone, iron) as back ground with. Sometimes due to the thin edges of the opal rocks in weird shapes and cut up with the brown iron stone that surrounds the valuable Opalherz, polished. "Boulder" may or dark, opaque or transparent to be bright. Small rocks sometimes contain "core" of opal, under the name "Yowah nuts" are known, because in the town of Yowah be found near the common. The Boulder-"Matrix Opal" Opal is a special-education, many spots auffunkelnder opal colors in the entire brown ironstone are scattered in and flashing neon lights and strip lights of a distant city to look like.

DETERMINANTS OF THE VALUE OF ALL opaline

When viewing an opal, the operative factor, the ratio between the light source to your eyes. To color in all the beauty of the best side to see his sparkling, the light has come on your shoulders. If you are in a closed room in daylight consider opals, set with his back to the window. And if you are outside, you have your back to the sun displayed. Rotate around its own axis and thus change the angle of incidence of light, you will be amazed at the quality and colors change like.

Good solid Opals have proven to be a safe investment. Its value increases continuously in a constant mass. This can be said about any other gem. These are subject to greater price swings up and down. Top qualities of opals seen a continuous increase in value.

Unlike diamonds and other precious stones, many factors are taken into account in the assessment of opals:

The brilliance of the colors is of the utmost importance. The price depends on the brightness / fire and the color intensity of an opal from.

The arrangement of the color associated with the luminosity can figure by 20-fold increase. Good patterns (eg Harlequin, Chinese writing, block patterns, etc.) are rare and if you have the luck, the above to have one of you have a collector's item.

COLORS - the number of different colors and the occurring colors affect the price, although this rule should be treated with great caution. An opal with all colors of the spectrum is not more valuable than one, the red / blue or green / blue is only because the primary value of determining the brilliance and the color depends on the arrangement. The most common color in opal is blue, followed in descending order of green, orange and red.

FORM - a stone with a curved surface is more valuable than a similar stone with a flat surface. An opal is the thin, could break under shock. Apart from the above form is not particularly important, although a large oval stone is in demand.

LUMINOSITY - good opals have in the shade or in very low light their color game show. Lower grades lit mainly by light. Opals should be the assessment with the light source in the back look at.

OPAL CATEGORIES

Construction of a doublet / triplet
1. Gem second In situation 3 Edition

There are three types of "Opal-categories". The most significant is the SOLID OPAL, it consists exclusively of solid opal. The other two categories are not real opals, but composite "Opal" using a more or less thin opal. There are duplicates, the opal (usually made ​​of light crystal opal) on a black bed with black adhesive, usually synthetic resin, are produced from a. The black background enhances the colors and the colors of the opal. The other type is the triple bill. This will add a clear quartz, glass or plastic cap on a duplicate made ​​by. The opal is thinner than a duplicate, and usually low quality. Doublets and triplets often have a good color match, but a much lower value than similar-looking real opals.

A fake black coloring is of light or of matrix opals to revive the play of color as well as impregnating opal with synthetic resin.

FIRE OPAL

Fire Opal (named for its orange color) shows no opalescence. It is usually milky. Best qualities are clear transparent, they are faceted. Against any type of stress as sensitive as precious opals. Deposits mainly in Mexico, but also Brazil, Guatemala, USA, Western Australia.