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Opal facts
Nature’s splendor seems to be reflected in the fine Opals. Fire and lightnings, colors of the rainbow, the soft shine of the vast oceans.
Australia is the classical country of origin. Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts.
Opal’s color has a very special attraction and fascination. What causes this phenomenon, you might ask?
Up until recently, this question was impossible to answer. Then in the 1960s, a team of Australian scientists, analyzed the opal with an electron microscope. It was discovered that small spheres from silica gel caused interference and refraction ,which are responsible for the play of colors.
The spheres succeed in dissecting the light on its passage through the gemstone and turning it into the colors of the rainbow; always new and always different.
Opals may become brittle. They always contain water – usually between 2 and 6 per cent. If stored too dry or exposed to heat over a longer period of time, Opals will show fissures and their color will become pale. Because of this, Opal jewelry should be worn as often as possible. This is how the gemstone receives the needed humidity, from the air and from the skin of its wearer.
Opals are not very hard. They only achieve 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs’ scale. They need a protective setting and considerable care. In earlier days, the opal’s sensitive surface was often oiled, but today, it is also sealed with colorless artificial resin.
