Opals gemstone jewelry always conjure up scenes of magic and myth among us. They are natures gemstones that glow with a fire all their own. Since Roman times these gemstones have been revered. Today most of the world’s opals are mined in New South Wales in Australia. The state of New South Wales is famous for its colourful and rare black and crystal stones. Opals are unique among gemstones as no two stones are the same and this means that each piece of opal gemstone is unique.
 

Opals are found in sedimentary rock in shallow depths of less than 30 metres. They are comprised of minute spheres of silica around a central point. The more precious opal gemstones consist of larger silica spheres in a regular pattern. As each stone is unique and one of a kind this is an excellent and charming gemstone for jewelry manufacture. Opals produce such fire,
brilliance and radiance thanks to the diffraction and interference of light waves passing through the stone and hence once again end up unique opal gemstone jewelry.
 

There are of course different types of opal which are used for jewellery with the most popular being black opals, light opals, fire opals, harlequin opals, pinfire opals and flash opals. Of these varieties light opals are perhaps the most popular for use in opal gemstone jewelry manufacture. Light opal gemstones have a background colour ranging from clear to a milky colour. The clear variety is commonly known as a crystal opal and is used extensively in the production of earrings, rings and pendants.

In order to experience and fully appreciate all of the colours in an opal you need to be able to turn the stone in the light. For this reason when buying opal gemstone jewelry make sure as much of the stone as possible is showing.