Precious Opal and Play-of-Color - Geology.com
Boulder opal and matrix opal are two other categories of opal that contain the play-of-color known as "precious opal". The name "boulder opal" is used for a rough or cut gemstone that exhibits play-of-color originating from precious opal in seams and patches within the host rock.
Opal Stones and Gems: Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
These stones are called precious opals. If the spheres are random in size, shape, and arrangement, the results are common opals. Common opals can have an opaque or glassy appearance with a waxy luster .
14 Different Types Of Opal And What They All Look Like - Rock …
Jan 3, 2024 · Crystal opal is a type of precious opal known for its transparency and the brilliant play-of-color within. What makes crystal opal distinct is its see-through body, which allows light to pass through, enhancing the opal’s internal colors.
Opal Gemstone | Opal Stone – GIA
Opal is an October birthstone. Grids of silica spheres 0.2 microns in size create red play-of-color flashes. Opal contains up to 20% water trapped in its silica structure. The novel “ Anne of Geierstein ” gave opal a reputation of being unlucky.
Pictures of Opal - Black, Fire, Boulder, Blue and Pink - Geology.com
Opal is one of the world's most popular gemstones and the birthstone for the month of October. A nice precious opal can flash every color of the spectrum with an intensity and quality of color that surpasses the fire of diamond. The best opals command prices per carat that rival expensive diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
The Gemstone Opal - The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
Detailed gem and jewelry information guide about the gemstone opal, including black, white, boulder, and precious.
Opal Stone Meaning, Uses, Properties, Value, & More - Gem …
Aug 11, 2021 · In precious opal stones, a combination of rare background color and play-of-color is paramount. Black opal stones are the rarest, and as such, they command the highest prices. A more accessible product in the opal market is from Mexico: fire opal.
Opal Information - More to it than a dazzling play of colors - GemSelect
Opals flash the colors of a rainbow as you turn or move the gemstone in a phenomenon known as play-of-color. These precious stones are often up to 20% water and made up of tiny spheres of silica and oxygen formed in cracks in rocks or layers of clay or even inside fossils.
Opal (Common) Gem Guide and Properties Chart - Gemstones.com
Leopard Opal is precious opal with play-of-color sprinkled throughout Vesicular Basalt rock. The colorful opal is striking against the black stone matrix. It is only found in Zimapán, Hidalgo State, Mexico.
Opal Gemstone 101: About, Symbolism, Uses, and Care Tips
Oct 24, 2022 · While different types of opal exist, it’s broadly classified into two types: precious opal and common opal or “potch.” Precious opal displays the characteristic play-of-color (flash of spectral colors) and is rarer than common opal.