Born in October? Opals, adored by the Romans in their jewellery, are the gemstones for your Birthday.
Whilst not everyone shares a metaphysical belief in the healing properties of crystals, for those who do, or would like to believe, I will add only that opals are associated with picking up thoughts and feelings and an ability to purify the blood.
Almost everyone recognises the fire and play of light in white opals and the feelings they conjour up of love and romance. However, opal comes in wide range of colours including white, pink, black, blue and not forgetting the wonderful orange, red and yellow hues found in fire opal.
Almost 90% of the world’s opal is mined in Australia, with the famous black opals only found in the Lighting Ridge mines. Ethiopia is the home of the relatively recently mined Ethiopian Welo opal, which has the same fire play as other opals but the colours can be strikingly different to those mined in Australia. Who doesn’t want to own a Mexican fire opal here the finest fire opals are mined?
Opals are unique in the gem world in that they always contain water so it is wise not no to let your opals get too hot, otherwise there is a possibility that can start to crack. Indeed Ethiopian opals are water absorbers so it is best not to let them have contact with water for too long, otherwise then can take some time to dry out completely and return to their original colours. In contrast, with Australian opals the water content is locked in during formation and they are non-porous – they do of course still deserve to be cared for, like all your gemstone jewellery.
The world’s most expensive opal was discovered in Australia and is currently held in the South Australia Museum
Here at Creations by Hands I am not trying to compete with the world’s most exclusive opals but I can offer you quality opal jewellery; either direct from my shop, or you can contact me to discuss a bespoke piece.