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Opal is a beautiful gemstone and we love the marvellous colours that it is able to produce. This month we will try to find out more about this popular, beloved and charming mineral, or mineraloid , as we should say. Minerals are crystalline forms of silica while opal is technically a hydrated amorphous form of silica, so mineraloid and not mineral. Its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight but it is usually between 6 and 10%. For such reasons it proves to be a delicate stone that needs to be handled with the utmost care and attention. The internal structure of precious opal makes it diffract light. Depending on the conditions in which it formed, it can take on many colors. Precious opal ranges from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the black opals are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common. It varies in optical density from opaque to semitransparent. The term opalescence is commonly and erroneously used to describe the unique and beautiful phenomenon - for which opal is generally famous - which should be termed instead as play of color. This is its main feature, the one that everybody is normally so fond of!    Opal, it is well known, is the national gemstone of Australia. Indeed the most beautiful opal is coming from Australia , mainly from the town of Coober Pedy in South Australia. Still other countries supplying precious opal are: Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, Brasil and Ethiopia. The opal from Ethiopia is nowadays largely used in the jewellery industry with a good quality and a vivid play-of-colour. In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal. Following the publication of Sir Walter Scott's Anne of Geierstein in 1829, opal acquired a less auspicious reputation. Due to the popularity of Scott's novel, people began to associate opals with bad luck and death. Within a year of the publishing of Scott's novel in April 1829, the sale of opals in Europe dropped by 50%, and remained low for the next 20 years or so. Now, fortunately, opal is considered only for what it is ...a marvellous, bewitching, intriguing gemstone that is inspiring jewellery designers all around the world! For you we have selected some of our creations with opals, mainly opal cabuchon which is the cut most suitable for this tender and difficult stone. Difficult but absolutely amazing and so much appreciated from the many lovers it has a bit everywhere. The earrings "Flower Fall" are one of our most representative pieces with their tones of yellow/cream/beige and brown...the light of the diamonds playing with the variety of colours of the opals , here in a navette cut. Special earrings for special occasions to match with our Nina rings or Opalette ring. The ring Opalette is a wondeful piece where the extraordinary colours of the opal central cabuchon perfectly fit the classic design giving it more strength and personality.  NINA rings, pink gold with opals, white and brown diamonds  FLOWERFALL earrings, pink gold, opals, fancy rosecut diamonds and white diamonds  OPALETTE ring, pink gold with opal, white and brown diamonds
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