October Birthstone Opal
Opals are the most well known birthstone for October. They are amazingly diverse rocks, taking on different appearances depending on how they formed. Precious opals, known for their flashy iridescent colors, are popular in some jewelry. But even the less dazzling common opals possess a quiet beauty that makes them popular as specimen collections.
Unlike most other gemstones, opals do not qualify as minerals in the usual sense. They contain myriads of tiny silica spheres in a tightly-packed lattice. These gemstones, famous for their “play of colors,” flash rainbow hues when moved, due to the interference of light with their internal structures.
Opals form in near-surface volcanic rocks, within cavities and cracks. In sedimentary volcanic ash rock, percolating water in the ground dissolves silica that eventually precipitates to form the opal. On rare occasions, it becomes the replacement material for fossils – shells, bones, wood – whose original material had dissolved away.
Our Opal Collections are gradually growing with the addition of boulder opal rings, Pipe Opal, Matrix Opal, Yowah Opal, Wood replacement Opal, Ethiopian Welo Opals, and Orange Fire Opal. Rings, earrings, pendants, and cuff bracelets are available. We source our Opals from Lightning Ridge NSW, Coober Pedy SA, and Qld Boulder Opals, some are from our Estate Collection and we have some amazing Ethiopian Welo Opals and Orange Fire Opals.
Opal is a gem, a semi-precious stone that comes in many shimmery, partly translucent colors. If your birthday is in October, opal is your birthstone.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR CURRENT SALE 10% OFF OUR ENTIRE OPAL COLLECTION, ONLINE SALES UNTIL 1ST OCTOBER 2022.
Most of the world's supply of opal comes from Australia. A polished opal that's been set in a ring or necklace is usually several shades or colours — most often blues and greens — with sparkles or shimmers decorating the stone. The word opal comes from the Latin opalus, and its ultimate root is probably the Sanskrit upala, "precious stone."
- Types:
- Black Opal a dark-colored opal with internal reflections of green or red.
- Fire-Opal; girasol is an opal with flaming orange and yellow and red colours.
- Harlequin Opal is a reddish opal with small patches of brilliant color.
The opal represents justice and harmony and is a protective stone in dangerous places. Opal has always been associated with love, passion, desire, and eroticism. It is a seductive stone that intensifies emotional states and releases inhibitions. It can also act as an emotional stabilizer.
