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About Opals

About opals

Different types of opals, 

Black Opal

Boulder Opal

Light Opal

Doublet opal

Triplet Opal

Common Opal

Opalised Fossils

Synthetic Opal

Care for your Opals

Healing and Opals

Alt om opaler(In Danish)

 
If you don’t know anything about opals it would be a good idea to read this information before buying, especially if you are planning on buying a high quality opal. Unfortunately I have come across many people overseas, who have purchased triplet or doublet opals not understanding what they were.
 

 Black Opal


Black opal is the most rare and valuable of all opal. It is solid and generally found as a bar (or several bars) of various colours in a dark body (black, blue, brown or grey). Some black opals have a complete rainbow of colours while others have deep blue-green hues.
 
In addition, there are also semi-black opals and black crystal opals. While a true black opal displays sharp brilliant colours on a dark background, the semi-black opal shows a background or body colour of mid-grey. In contrast, the black crystal opal is translucent with no traces of black potch on it underside. Its colours are sharp and visible beneath the surface.
 
 

Boulder Opal
 
 
 
 
Boulder opal is also classified as solid opal. It occurs as thin veins of precious opal in the cracks and cavities of light and dark brown ironstone boulders in Queensland. The opal flowed into the cracks and fissures in the boulders in liquid form millions of years ago. With the passing of centuries, the liquid material formed into solid opal and now miners cut these stones into magnificent pieces with the natural host rock left on the back.  
 
 
 
 
 
Boulder opal can be found in many different forms and colours: its surface can be smooth or uneven, with the opal occurring as a solid piece on top of the ironstone or showing as flashing flecks of colour throughout the ironstone (known as matrix opal). There are also the famous nut opals, known as 'Yowah-nuts' and unique to Queensland. These smaller ironstone concretions up to 5cm across may host a kernel of solid opal or contain a network of thin veins of opal through the ironstone. The best development of this variety of opal is at Yowah, hence the name 'Yowah-nuts'.
 
 
 
 

Crystal Opal & Light Opal

 
 
 
 
Light opal is also classified as a solid opal. Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Mintabie in South Australia are the most productive mines for light opal.
 
 
 
 
 
A full range of colours swirls and flashes in the depths of a light opal. The background colour may be white or light blue. Light crystal opal is translucent and shows colours sharp and visible below the surface. When clear and colourless, this form is referred to as 'water' or 'jelly' opal.
 
 
 
 
 

Doublet Opal

 
A doublet opal is not a solid opal: doublets are made of thin slices of fine quality opal (generally light opal) glued to a backing piece of black potch, glass or Queensland ironstone, thus resembling natural black opal or Queensland boulder opal.
 
 
 

Triplet Opal


A triplet opal is not a solid opal: triplets are made of three pieces, rather like a sandwich. Firstly, a flat thin slice of precious opal is glued on to a backing of common opal, glass or porcelain that has first been darkened. A protective dome of clear quartz crystal is then cemented to the precious opal with a clear resin (glue) to complete the triplet opal. A doublet opal is more valuable than a triplet because it has a greater opal content.
 
 
 

Common Opal


'Common opal' is classified as non-gem quality opal. There are several varieties of common opal; most are opaque and none exhibit any 'play of colour'.
'Hyalite', or 'Mullers Glass', is a colourless opal that gives the appearance of glass. Rarely, it does display a faint tint of colour (blue, green or yellow)
 
 
'Hydrophane' is an opaque porous opal that becomes transparent when immersed in water.
'Resin opal' is black or brown with a resinous lustre.
'Potch' is generally opaque and can be milky white, pale to dark grey, bluish grey or black. 'Magpie potch' is made up of black and white patches. A clear amber variety of potch has been found at Lightning Ridge.

Opalised fossils

The Australian opal fields were at one time under the sea, so opalised fossils are occasionally unearthed. As the ages passed and the seas began to recede, millions of sea creatures were isolated and marooned. Eventually the area dried completely and the inland is now a dry desert country.
In time the ground waters, holding silica solution, also evaporated. They left behind the phenomenon known as 'opal'. Hydrated silica was deposited in fissures in sandstone, or gypsum, and on jasper. It entered the shells of the stranded marine creatures. In some cases it even replaced the entire shell.
One can find opalised wood, prehistoric animal bones, sea creatures, full sea shells, skin shells, sponges, fish skeletons and even opalised stems of plants on the opal fields.
 

Synthetic Opal


Synthetic opal is produced in the laboratory and has a similar structure to that of precious opal. The following observations can be made to differentiate between natural and synthetic opal:
  • Synthetic stones show brighter colours, and larger colour patches than in natural opal.
  • In synthetic opal, colour grain boundaries are highly irregular.
  • Synthetic opal has a distinctive snakeskin pattern.
  • Synthetic material shows a more ordered array of colours because the intricate pattern of natural opal cannot be duplicated.

 Caring for your opals

 
Caring for your opals is important as opals are softer and more fragile than other crystalline opals. As with all precious items, a certain amount of care should be taken. Be careful not to scratch or hit opals, so when taking off your opal necklace make sure you stand on soft flooring in case you should drop it on the floor. Also avoid wearing an opal ring while washing up, gardening or doing the housework, as it can get scratched or shatter.
Opals are composed of between three and 20 per cent water and as such, they should not allowed to freeze or dry out. In the case of solid opal, an occasional light rinsing in fresh water is recommended. However, never immerse a triplet or doublet opal in water for any reason whatsoever because such an action may cause permanent damage.

Opals and Healing


For ages people have believed in the healing power of Opal. It is reported to be able to solve depressions and to help its wearer find the true and real love. Opals are supposed to further enhance the positive characteristics for people born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. Black Opal is recommended to those born under Scorpio, and Boulder Opal is the lucky stone for Aries.

The fantastic colour play of Opal reflects changing emotions and moods of people. Fire and water, the sparkling images of Boulder Opal, the vivid light flashes of Black Opal or the soft shine of Milk Opal – striking contrasts characterise the colourful world of this fascinating gemstone.

 Alt om opaler på Dansk

Alle opaler blev formet milioner af år siden, ved at silica i flydende form dannede sig i revner i stenen. Gennem årtier lagde silicaen sig lag på lag og  dannede opalen.

Sorte Opaler 

Sorte Opaler er den mest sjældne og værdifulde af alle opaler. Det er også den eneste type opal der er klasifiseret som en rigtig ædelsten. (der findes kun 3 ædelstene i verden, diamanter, sorte opaler og safir(røde safir kaldes også rubiner)) En sort opal er en masiv sten som oftest består af ædelopal( i regnbuens farver) som sidder på almindelig opal (grå, blå, sort, honning). Hvis opalen ikke sidder på almindelig opal (altså bagrunden) er den gennemsigtig og kaldes en krystal opal.
95% af verdens sorte opaler kommer fra Lightning Ridge i Australien.
Boulder Opaler
Boulder opaler kommer fra Queensland og er også en masiv sten som oftest består af ædelopal( i regnbuens farver) som sidder på modersten (brun)
Mange boulder opaler har ujævne former i farven og moderstenen og ofte er farverne og moderstenen blandet sammem i fasinerende mønstre.
 
 
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