boulder opal: Heaven and Earth - Jewelry, Crystals and Gems

Opal is a hydrated silica material with a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5. It is composed of submicroscopic silica spheres that are bonded together with water and additional silica. Sometimes the water in Opal can evaporate, creating cracks in the stone. Some, but not all Opals exhibit the play of colors known as 'fire.' This is caused by the Opal's minute silica spheres being packed in a formation regular enough to cause light diffraction.  The name Opal is derived from the Latin opalus and the Sanskrit upala, meaning 'precious stone.' Precious Opals were mined in the former Czechoslovakia at least as long ago as the fourteenth century. Mexican Fire Opal was used by the Aztecs and was brought to Europe by the conquistadors. In nineteenth-century Europe, Opal's popularity declined because of an association with bad luck, but it rebounded in the twentieth century and it remains one of the most popular gems.  In Roman civilization, Opal was linked with good luck and hope. The belief in France that Opal could render its wearer invisible, allowing him or her to steal without being caught, may have been the beginning of Opal's negative associations. An Australian legend reports that a gigantic Opal governs the stars, human love and the gold within the mines.  Current metaphysical thinking views the various types of Opal as having different energetic properties, so we will discuss each one separately.

Shop for boulder opal Crystals, Jewelry and other products.

Shop for boulder opal Crystals, Jewelry and other products.