ABOUT OPAL

Opal is one of the most beautiful and fascinating gemstones on our planet.  It has been highly sought after for hundreds of years for its incredible "play of color".  RealOpal.com specializes in Australian opal, because we've found it to be some of the  strongest, most beautiful opal available in the world, but opal is found in many other parts of the world also, including Europe, Ethiopia, Mexico, and the U.S.A.

When opal is viewed through a powerful electron microscope, one can see it is made of many tiny balls (spheres) of silica. These small silica balls are the same sized diameter in precious opal, and they're arranged in an amazing uniform pattern. Nature arranges millions and millions of these silica spheres, all stacked in row after neatly arranged row (see photo, right). It is this incredible pattern of silica spheres in precious opal that creates the beautiful varied colors we see in these stones. The light that shines upon precious opal is diffracted as it penetrates the tiny spaces between the silica spheres. When this happens, this interference and diffraction of light separates regular white light into its component colors (the colors of the rainbow!). These varying colors make opal the perfect stone to use to create gorgeous jewelry that displays colors that seem almost magical! 

Some people have commented how the separation of lights' colors shining on the surface of precious opal seems similar to how rainbows are formed in the sky.  The key difference is that we see rainbows when light is refracted (and reflected) by massive quantities of tiny spheres of water droplets as the sunlight shines through them in the rainy sky. It's this similarity that makes some people think fondly of their opal jewelry as nature's way of allowing them to "wear a rainbow"!      

Precious opal is officially defined as a form of "hydrated silica" (that means it's composed of water and silica).  The moisture content within precious opal is around seven percent.  Though opal has nearly the same hardness as glass, it is a very durable stone.  However, it's recommended to assure the long life of your opal jewelry that you treat it like you would any other fine piece of jewelry. With basic care and cleaning your opal jewelry is likely to become a treasured family heirloom. 

OPAL TERMINOLOGY
These definitions will help you understand some commonly used opal jewelry terminology ;

Solid-- This refers to a "solid" precious opal stone that is cut and shaped from a single piece of opal.  Solids are usually the highest quality, and ready to be "set" into the jewelry setting you prefer.

Doublet-- Doublets are created by using a slice of precious opal, and bonding it to an ironstone backing (usually ironstone is used for backings, but sometimes obsidian or other stone-backings are used).  This "slice" process uses less opal than "solids", so often the cost of doublets is lower than the cost of solids. 

Triplet-- Triplets use the same process as doublets, but they have a third component, adding a domed quartz cap bonded to their top surface.  This quartz cap helps to magnify and enhance the colorful opal beneath it (sometimes plastic or glass caps are used instead of quartz).

Mosaic-- When many tiny pieces of precious opal are fit together (like a puzzle), and bonded onto a solid backing, this is called a "mosaic".  This process utilizes many small pieces of opal to create a larger solid-looking stone, and the colorful results can oftentimes look stunning (and mosaics are much less expensive than a solid stone of comparable size!).

Boulder Opal-- Boulder opal is the term used to describe a type of Australian precious opal that forms attached to brown ironstone. Most of this kind of opal comes from the Winton/ Opalton/ Yowah regions of Australia.  Brilliant colors and unique patterns make this type of opal perfect for a variety of custom jewelry.  When the opal has formed in specks, throughout the ironstone, it's referred to as "Boulder Matrix".

Black Opal-- This term has most commonly been used to refer to the incredibly colorful precious opal from the Lightning Ridge area of Australia.  This colorful opal forms on blackish or very dark base stone. This dark backing really  enhances the colors in the precious opal layer on top, making the colors appear particularly vibrant. 

White Opal-- Most of the opal that looks white, or very light colored, is from the Coober Pedy area of Australia.  The colors can be brilliant and varied, and often penetrate throughout the stones.  There are several different sub-categories of white opal, but most can be identified by the whitish color (though some types are light-grey, or even translucent).  Again, showing a beautiful display of color makes white opal perfect for unique jewelry items.  Many doublets, and most triplets and mosaics are made from this variety of opal.

Structure of Opal

(http://luxrerum.icmm.csic.es/
Photo used with permission,
courtesy of Luxrerum.icmm.csic.es)

"Old Timer" Mining Rig

Modern Opal Mining

Into a mine

Eddie (the Opal Hunter's) mining camp in Quilpie Australia