JD Institute of Fashion Technology
OPALS : TREASURE OF THE WORLD

It is believed that the name Opal comes from the Sanskrit word “Upala” which means Precious. Opal is a hydrated silica which is composed of silicon and oxygen, containing up to 10-15% water. And if the stone dries out too quickly after being mined it may end up with cracks. The special characteristic of Opal is the “Play-of-color”, a display of rainbow-like hues which changes with the angle of slight movement. The color phenomenon seen in opal is due to the interference of light by its internal spherical structure which is consists of tiny bits of silica.

Opal is found in variety of shapes, sizes and colors. It’s often cut into cabochons, a shape with a flat bottom and a domed top to fit in Jewelry Pieces. There are different types/variety of Opals available in the Global Gems, Jewelry market. The types of Opals include-

WHITE OPAL is the most common one with the white to medium grey body color exhibiting blue, orange, green and red hues in the softer tone.

BLACK OPAL  is the most valuable and rare variety of opal with colors like blue, green, red and orange which gives it even more striking appearance.

BOULDER OPAL is often related with the affordable alternative of black opal. The Boulder opal is very unique variety with matrix like formation.

CRYSTAL OPAL & FIRE OPAL  range from transparent to semi transparent with yellow, red, orange body color that may or may not have play of color. And in the latter scenario results in increase in the value of the Opal.

COMMON OPAL , also known as “potch opal” is an opaque gem that exhibits no play of colors and occurs in pink, blue and other colors with high to low saturation.

Lately though, Ethiopian Opals are becoming very popular in the market, not only it is beautiful, it is also more affordable. It comes in different shades like red, orange with play of colors phenomenon which makes them even more beautiful.

Opal is all time favorite gem among designers as it gives a very unique colorful look to the design. However utmost care should be taken while mounting the gem in Jewelry as it is a very soft stone with hardness of 5-6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness and usually Bezel setting is one of the best setting in such cases since it helps in protecting the stone.