Searching for an online gem store will lead you to a world of options and a surprising fact. Pretty much every online gem store offers opals for sale as a part of their jewelry line or as loose gem stones. Opals are actually one of nature’s best splendors, is known as the birthstone for the month of October and is also the gemstone associated with both the fourteenth and eighteenth anniversary. The hues of an opal can easily change into any color thanks to its natural rainbow effect. What makes the opal gemstone the queen of gem store is its ability to refract and reflect different wavelengths of light. This has made it one of the most searched gemstones globally. The word opal is derived from several languages: in Sanskrit upala, whose meaning is “precious stone", the Greek word is opallios while the Latin one, the opalus (both words meaning to see color change).
What is the history behind this queen of gem store? Well the oldest opal artifacts were discovered from 4000 BC in the African country of Ethiopia. They were later discovered by the world renowned archeologist, Louis Leakey in a cave in Kenya. There are also a number of different opal myths and beliefs, including that they are a cure for diseases affecting the eye, blood disorders, apathy, assistance in reproductive health, and disorders of the brain among others. Believers in magic also thought opals assisted its wearer in the ability to see possibilities, loosening of inhibitions and promotions of impulsiveness were some of the things related to the opal stones.
This queen of gem store actually comes in many shades of colors. In its basic form, the opal stone is primarily colorless, but this is very rare to come across. The difference in coloration is brought about by the water forming process resulting in tiny spheres which are normally same in size and order diffracting light in the opal stone hence creating various hues of the rainbow. The more same the size of the spheres the more the intensity, brilliance, and definition the color becomes. If in any case the spheres are randomly shaped and arranged, basic colorless opal is formed.
The hue of the opal stone highly depends only on the uniformity of the small spheres. In tiny spheres, blue and violets spectrum would be revealed. In the case of larger spheres the hues of red and orange will show more on the opal stone. These opal stones are very highly valued for they reveal more color play. You would easily notice them in an Australian opal earring.
The opal stones are actually present in very many types and varieties. Very fine quality Australian opal is surprisingly rare to come across than even the rare rubies and emeralds. The Australian Black Opal, for example, is the rarest and most costly of all opals. They usually come in the form of a bar. Don't let their name of Black Opal fool you, though. These amazing stones complete hues of the rainbow despite the body being dark in color, of gray and blue.
The versatility and natural beauty of opals h=make them a favorite with customers and professionals alike. Working with opals does take an artists touch as the way they are mined, polished and set all complement and bring out their beauty. This makes opals a true queen of both the gem store and your own jewelry collection.