Recently this wonderfully rich gemstone has captured my attention. I did a little research and discovered some interesting facts about opals .

•    Their color is the result of silica gel and water
•    Some opals are up to 10% water
•    The most, and best opals originate in Australia
•    They were considered quite rare up until the mid-1800s.

The other thing I find especially fascinating about this beautiful stone is the profusion of folklore surrounding their “birth,” as told by the Aborigines. Who knows how well these stories were translated, but I think it makes for a marvelous study!

To me, all gemstones have a wonderful beauty. Many, or most, hearken back to the beginning of our planet, and carry a history that is billions of years old. I think it’s fantastic that we humans have crafted these pockets of our planet’s beginning into things for men and women to adorn themselves with!

Tags: gemstone jewelry, opals

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 3:27 pm and is filed under Types of Jewelry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.