Are opals alive?

Most opal is over 60 million years old.

Opals

are unique and no two are exactly alike. Opal is a living stone, which means that it must be protected from heat and detergents that dry the gem. Opal is one of the most beautiful gemstones in the world.

There is always much more than meets the eye for opals. Here at Opal Auctions we live and breathe everything there is about opals. They have an incredible colorful screen with fascinating patterns. They look great on earrings, pendants, rings, brooches, watches and in many different settings.

Opals are definitely unique, but have you ever wanted to know what it is about? Or have you ever wondered where opal is found, how is opal formed, the history of opals, the incredible metaphysical benefits, the royal bows, the facts of birthstone and much more? Here is a video of 10 amazing facts about opals that you might not have known. Opal is arguably the most unique, diverse and beautiful birthstone. Unlike most gemstones, opal is amorphous, meaning it doesn't have a definite crystal structure. It takes many shapes and colors and, in that way, is quite unpredictable.

This may have contributed to a general perception of opal as “bad luck”, as it would break anyone's heart to lose a precious beautiful opal or family heirloom. In the Middle Ages, opal was known as the “eye stone” because of the belief that it was vital for good eyesight. In the days when Rome spread its legions across Europe and Africa, a Roman senator named Nonius chose exile rather than selling his precious opal to Mark Antony, who wanted to give it to his famous lover Cleopatra. Even so, this single work cut opal prices in half in just one year and paralyzed the European opal market for decades.

When high-quality Australian opal appeared on the market in the 1890s, it is understood that diamond posters actively spread the false rumor that opal was out of luck and seriously damaged the reputation of opals. These American fire opal pieces offer a very different look in opal and are a must-have stone for any collector. The opal, which actually belonged to Ana's exotic grandmother, turns out to have turned pale as a warning to its owner against poisoning (which was the real cause of her grandmother's death). The notion that opals are photonic crystals for visible light was expressed in 1995 by the group of Vasily Astratov.

Mick McCormack, a young opal miner in Lightning Ridge, went on his bike when war was declared and went to enlist, simply saying to his friends “I'll be back. However, for as long as Hungarian mines supplied opal to Europe, including a stone for the crown of a Roman emperor, superstitions circulated that attributed evil powers and diseases to the colorful stone. Some reports claim that 97% of the world's gem-quality opals are sourced from here, although relatively recent discoveries in Ethiopia (in 1994) and 200 are starting to leave their mark on the industry. Isidore Kozminsky, in the 1922 edition of his book The Magic and Science of Jewels and Stones, states that “perhaps against no other jewel has the fanaticism of superstitious ignorance so prevailed as against the wonderful opal.

The combination of pH and other chemical conditions necessary for the formation of opal is extremely specific and only rarely occurs in nature. The best known boulder opal is from western Queensland, where opal forms in cavities within a brown iron-rich rock called ironstone. Opal was also linked to the Black Death, an affliction that struck in the mid-14th century and ultimately eradicated more than a third of Europe's population and much more in neighboring territories. .