Opal stones: history, varieties and interesting facts

Камни опалы известны человечеству очень давно, The history of their use goes back several millennia. It is believed that its name comes from the Sanskrit "fell", which means "noble stone". There are no absolutely indifferent to it, their characteristic brilliance, as well as a wide palette of colors just mesmerizing.

Like many semi-precious stones, opalwas not always popular. At different times, various properties have been attributed to him, from bad to good. For example, in ancient Rome, it was a symbol of loyalty, was considered a source of energy and power, the emperor Constantine even spread rumors that opal stones can make their owners invisible to others. From that time on, they began to use ill fame and became talismans of thieves.

However, at the end of the XIX century in Australia was openeda large field, and opals are back. People simply could not resist its mysterious brilliance and beauty. True, not all of them are so beautiful. And, by the way, it was opal that later became the symbol of South Australia, where about 90% of the gems belonging to this group are still mined.

Depending on the composition, gloss, purity andSome other characteristics differ in several varieties of this stone. The most prized so-called noble opal, it already belongs to the precious, not semi-precious stones. The least expensive is the ordinary opal, it is not inherent in a beautiful rainbow shine. In general, he is much more inconspicuous compared to his noble brother. As for colors, there are two large groups: white opal - a stone of any light shade, and black - a darker or more colored one.

These gems have interesting properties.First of all, they contain a small amount of water, so they require special care. Any opal has microcracks on its surface through which it can absorb moisture. On the other hand, it is through them that it evaporates, while the opal gradually fades and loses its beautiful brilliance. Therefore, in order to postpone this problem as late as possible, you need to wear jewelry with opal more often, and store them in a damp cotton wool. It is also necessary to protect opal stones from pollution, since this can greatly affect their color. In general, owners need to handle them very carefully.

It is by the example of this gem that one can seeSuch an interesting phenomenon as opalescence is a play of light, which is also inherent in diamonds. The value of opals is precisely how many colors can be seen on its surface, the most expensive of them is four. So they can be safely counted among the precious family.

Opal stones are not particularly hardon the Mohs scale, they are located at around 5.5-6.5. The noble variety gems are usually given the shape of flat cabochons; it is in this form that they most fully show their brilliance and color.

Opals are believed to bring their ownerspeace and harmony. It is this stone that can help get rid of depression, anger and negative thoughts. It doesn’t matter if jewelry owners believe that opals have similar properties. Even if they do not become their talismans, they are still very beautiful.