Mysterious, shifting Opal earrings with iridescent blue, green, aqua, and sometimes yellow or
red. Breathtaking in its ethereal beauty, Opal is the only gemstone known to have the natural ability to diffract, or split, light, which results in its unique optical properties.
I think Opals are absolutely the most beautiful stone imaginable. They flash with all the colors of the rainbow, intermingled with a milky white hue. If the Opal in your ring or pendant was mined rather than lab-created, you must take some care with it, because they can be brittle. However, with the proper care, your Opal ring can bring joy and beauty into your life for years, and possibly even be passed down to later generations.
Interesting facts about Opals:
* Opal is the birthstone for the month of October, and the official jewelry gift for a 14th wedding anniversary
* Since the late 1800s, the finest Opals have come from Australia.
* Natural opals are a rather soft stone, being about the same hardness as glass. Thus, opal jewelry should be treated with some care. Lab-Created Opal is actually more durable than its natural counterpart, as it has no water content.
* Most opals are not faceted but finished en cabochon because their optical properties are best displayed on smoothly rounded surfaces.
* Black Opal is the most precious type of opal and features a dark background beneath the play of color.
Did You Know?
* The Romans called Opal "Cupid Paederos", a child as beautiful as love", and wore it as a symbol of purity, hope, and love.
* Opal was dubbed the "Queen of Gems" by William Shakespeare in his play "Twelfth Night."
* Most opal is more than 60 million years old and dates back to the time of the dinosaurs.
18K Yellow gold pendant featuring a magnificent kite shaped tourmaline pendant with an opal drop, and diamonds around.
