Opals are not the most valuable gems stones in the world, they’re less then ideal characteristics such as softness, dehydration and weakness makes them less then durable as a stone. There value therefore lye’s simply in their beauty and spectacular ability to entrap rainbows of color that look like firecrackers on new years eve. They have enraptured the imagination of artist over the century’s because of its encapsulating glittering droplets that bewitches the human eye. It has been praised and valued for its colors in ancient Rome and was mystified and feared in Russia as a superstitious stone known as the evil eye.



The stone is usually a translucent pale white with a firecracker display of colorful sparks entrapped in the centre. There are opals that have different body colors that range from orange to pink and red that really set of the sparkler inside this is known as the fire opal. Recently we have seen growing interest in one of the lesser know opals, the so-called fire opal. This is an
opal known not for its play of color, but for its vivid body color, which ranges from white to yellow to orange to red. Opals are amorphous hydrated silicon dioxide which has no crystalline structure meaning it’s basically a jelly like substance that has hardened, this moisture makes the stone susceptible to cracking.


The Mexican opal on the other hand is different, it is translucent in color and if you saw it for the first time it wouldn’t necessarily look like and opal. The colors are very vivid and one gem can display a range of colors oranges and reds being the most highly prized of the stones. The Mexican opal is mined in the Mexican states of Queretaro and Chihuahua to name a few. The mines of Queretaro are still producing stones today since they opened in 1835. Since these opals have a high moister content they have to be protected heat and light as they can easily dry out and crack. Due to the fact that the stone is weak it is best to invest in pieces that are worn around the neck and ears as anything that is worn on the hands is less durable and will be damaged easily.