Inside it contains water, and its exterior is one of the best potential for the use of jewelry. Opals correspond to a mineraloid of the Tectosilicate group, related to quartz, characterized by its majestic brilliance.
The opal is formed by small spheres of silicon dioxide, microscopic in size, being 1/10,000th of a millimeter, just like quartz, and which are united in the form of a lattice layer. This last shape is what facilitates the three-dimensional flash of light reflection, thus recreating a gem capable of radiating with the same colors of the rainbow.
In common gems, the effect of light is recreated by the impure content, but in the special case of opal, its multicolored magic is due to the luminous filling in the empty spaces contained by the microscopic spheres of silicon dioxide. These empty spaces are called voids.
Opal is as useful for both animals as it is for stone carving art. The use of opal dates back to the fossilization of animals and plants. Later, the opal would correspond to an ideal auxiliary for the manufacture of carved stones.
The depleted opal deposits in the world were in Slovakia. Fortunately, in the year 1863, another settlement of this silicate was found in Australia. Then it would be determined that from there it has been possible to promote 98% of the opal marketing throughout the world. One of the places that depends on him the most is the town of ‘Coober Pedy’, in South Australia.
One of the most precious examples of the opal-based goldsmith trade is the ‘Rainbow shield’ or also known as Arcoíris Shield. This earring is a precious gem made with Australian noble opal, bordered by a frame of diamonds, and an iconic representative of what the art of jewelry can achieve.
Opal types are valued in various ways. This is very useful as it can alert you to the quality of the gem that you could receive, and the necessary justification for investing in it. Whether in a physical store or an online store, good opal must be distinguished, whether it is natural, treated, synthetic or simulated, whether it is solid or laminated. The solid comes from the stones in their rough state, with only one method of shaping and polishing being necessary to have a gem to offer. In the case of laminates, these are made by a single layer of opal and several layers of any other material such as ironstone or black jade.
Solid type opals are usually weighted according to type, base color, weight, and brightness – pattern. Any gem that has even one crack is unusable for commercial sale. Among its types, the natural solid Andamooka opal with a black base color is the most appreciated.