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Opals

Opal – Paradise Bird

Opal fascinated people for hundreds of years. In their pictorial language, Mayans and Aztecs called it Quetzal-itzlipyollitli (paradise bird stone) or Vitzitziltecpatl (hummingbird stone), referring to the glossy colourful plumage of those tropical birds. Although the most beautifully coloured precious opals from decades have been brought from different regions of South and Central America, the main, so far unbeaten provider of transparent and translucent opal is Mexico, offering stones with extensive palette of colours, from wine-yellow to raisin-yellow (sherry opal), from orange to hyacinth-red (fire opal) and from orange-red to dark-red (cherry opal).

Iridescent, vibrant multicolour of opal is not due to any colouring inclusions in it, but to a dynamic phenomenon of light. The play of colours in precious opal is the only case of its kind in the world of minerals: it is formed by the diffraction of light on the microscopic spaces between the tiny beads arranged in planes and blocks, causing the splitting of white light into its spectral colours.

In geological terms, opal is a relatively young stone, because it wouldn’t survive undamaged neither the tectonic movements, nor surface erosion. The creation of these rare beauties - each one of them is unique in terms of patterns and play of colours - takes place together with their displacements near the ground water level. Most opal deposits are of volcanic origin from Australia, Honduras, California, Mexico and Slovakia. According to its own colour scale, there are several varieties of opals:

-          white opals, in broader terms – white precious opals,

-          black opals, being the most precious arts of nature,

-          transparent water opals,

-          crystal opals – see-through and with intense colours,

-          fire opals that throw flames.

Opal is typical Australian precious stone, raised in 1993 by the government of that country to the status of a national gemstone. This way, in addition to the recognition of its economic importance, a fact was highlighted, that the Australian land breeds greatest (next to Mexico) opals in the world. At the end of the 20th Century, Tanzania amazed the gemstones connoisseurs with an extraordinary opal. The so-called prase opal owes its green colour to a little bit of nickel, coming from weathered serpentinite. Also the find new finding places arouse curiosity within opal experts. Collectors of beautiful precious stones enhance their collections with specimens from the United States, Honduras, Saxony, Germany, Denmark, Turkey, Ethiopia, Mali and Indonesia. In South America, opals are found in Peru and Brazil.

Opal must be handled with caution because of its poor durability and endurance. This delicate stone, enjoyable thanks to its sublime glows, requires a very careful use regardless of colour. During its lifespan as an adornment, it can dry out and crack. The Influence of chemicals like acid, lye or fat, together with intense sunlight and high air temperature is stressful to opals, which hate harsh conditions. In addition it is related to some unpleasant superstitions. As a victim of prejudice, allegedly causing misfortunes, it fell out of favour. Despite the stigma, precious opal is said to be one of the aristocrats among the gem stones, and the mighty of this world greatly appreciate it.

The ancient Greeks used a stone named ophthalmos as an universal treatment for eye illness and were wearing it as a talisman, comparing it to a “baby beautiful like love”. Plinius said about it, that opal was a cup of consolidation, from which the precious garnets drank their fiery heat, the amethysts their deep crimson, emeralds the joyful sea-green, topazes golden yellow and the sapphires – the sky blueness.

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