The most beautiful rainbow in the world. The most beautiful opal

Opals are very beautiful stones that are widely used in jewelry. Opals can have a wide variety of colors, be multi-colored, colorless or milky. Noble opals are characterized by bright iridescent overflow. Opals can be found on all continents, but 97% of these stones are mined only in Australia. It is interesting that earlier opals were used in the manufacture of dynamite.

The most beautiful and perfect opal in the world is the Virgin Rainbow or the Virgin's Rainbow. This is an amazing stone that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. It is about the size of an index finger and costs about a million dollars. It took nature many millions of years to form this miracle.

The maiden rainbow was discovered by accident in 2003 by the miner John Dunstan at the mines in the famous Coober Pedy. This small town in Australia is considered the world's opal capital.

The Maiden's Rainbow is the jewel in the opal exhibition opening on September 25 at the South Australian Museum.

“This exhibition is literally historical, since the opals that we see here originated millions of years ago, when dinosaurs still inhabited the earth and Australia was covered by the sea,” said museum director Brian Oldam.

Further text is taken from here
Opals are a silica hydrogel that contains 6-10% water. Opals have more than 100 shades and their own names, depending on the inclusions of iron, nickel, manganese and other elements. Opals are colored red, green, blue, violet, yellow, blue, pink. Opalescence (play of light) can be point, solid, zonal, irregularities can stand out on the surface, which makes opals a favorite stone of designers. Translated from the Sankrit language, upala means “precious stone”.
Its other name is "crackling" for its fragility and property to crack when dry.
Therefore, opals love a humid environment. The shape of cabochons conveys the play of light of opals in the best way. 95% of the total minerals are mined in Australia. Not so long ago, a large deposit was found in Ethiopia. Other deposits: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Sudan, Czech Republic. England - mostly black opals or royal opals. Little unconfirmed data :)
The attitude of people towards disgrace has changed over the past 2 millennia: from admiration to rejection and fear.
The mineral is considered a very powerful stone. In the Middle Ages, opal was called the "eye of evil" for its resemblance to the eye and its use for witchcraft. Only Scorpons, focused on their goal, are able to cope with it. It is recommended to wear it on the index finger of the right hand.
A gold frame doubles its magical properties.
Opals of white color affect the growth of spirituality, create harmony with the surrounding world, bring the gift of clairvoyance and prophecy, warn of dangers, enhance human qualities,
both talents and vices. He is credited with the ability to give rise to deceptive hopes, this is a symbol of whims and betrayals.

Chemically, opal is a mineraloid gel that is deposited at relatively low temperatures in fissures and cavities that have arisen in almost any mineral, but most often in limonite, sandstone, rhyolite and basalt.
Opal contains 3-15% water, which gives it some duality. Despite the fact that opal does not have a crystal lattice, it still has a structure. Noble opal consists of nanospheres, which are twisted from the finest oxygen-silicon chains. It is a mineral, solid silica hydrogel:
SiO2
Opal is similar in composition to quartz, but with a variable water content.
Andamooka Rough Opal (Raw Andamooka opal)
The rather porous material comes from the Andamooka deposit in southern Australia.
The raw Andamuka when it was just mined is completely matte.
It is only after it has been sucked and oxidized that it looks like a real black opal.

Black Opal (black)
Black opals are the rarest and most valuable variety.
and the most highly valued stone in general.
Black opals are certainly not black,
they are called so for the depth in which rainbow colors suddenly flash. Distinguishing black from other opals is
that a massive jelly-like material is necessarily on an opaque dark substrate, which creates a dark background on which the opal-jelly can play with clear colors.
Shining paints, with its dark perception, distinguish black opal from white.

Numerous legends and legends are associated with this multicolored gem. It happened during the days of dreams, as the legends of the indigenous Australians tell, when the creator descended from the rainbow to the earth to convey to people the knowledge of the world. At the place where his foot touched the ground, stones began to form and glow with all the colors of the rainbow.

Shells, teeth, sea creatures, bones and other objects can also become opalized over time (if they were at rest in the unique conditions of Australian alumina)

Rough opal is sold by ounce in Australia. 1 Troy ounce equals 31.103 grams or 20 pence. There are about 30 ounces in a kilogram

Koroit Nut Opal (Australian opal - boulder boulder.)
Coroite is a mineral compound in which opal penetrates the rock, creating unusual patterns and patterns. Koroite is a place in Australia where koroite opals are mined.))

Ocean opal (Ocean)
The ocean is frozen in stone

Rainbow Opal (rainbow)
Living rainbow

raw fire opal
A kind of noble opal (sometimes called Mexican)
Opal is called "the stone of deceiving hopes." It is believed to support the talents of the owners (good and bad)

tree fossil with opal growth rings (fossil tree growing in opal)
Opal with Fossils.
The tree rings of the plant are clearly visible in this photo.

Welo Crystal Opal (Ethiopian opal)
English name: Opal (IMA approved mineral name). First identified / described: Opal has been known since ancient times, long before the formal publication with its description. ... Location: Welo deposit, Ethiopia.

Black Opal (black)

Boulder Opal (cobblestone)

Fossilized Opal (fossil)

Welo Crystal Opal (Ethiopian opal)

Noble opal
Noble opal necessarily has a special color effect called play of color.
The play of color is a change in color and pattern when the stone is turned or tilted and is inherent only in opals.
They shimmer changing their pattern as in a kaleidoscope.

Ordinary opal has a specific color that
although it may differ slightly depending on the lighting,
but does not change when the stone is tilted or turned.
These can be transparent and opaque stones of all colors.

There are many raw materials that are essentially natural opal, but too brittle or porous.
Modern methods of special processing - stabilization, make it possible to raise the quality of this raw material to that of jewelry.

Synthetic opals are produced industrially and of all types, but they differ from natural ones in that they have a more regular pattern.

Imitations

Materials that are not opals, such as painted glass or plastic, are opal imitations.

The maiden rainbow was discovered by accident in 2003 by the miner John Dunstan at the mines in the famous Coober Pedy. This small town in Australia is considered the world's opal capital.

The Maiden's Rainbow is the jewel in the opal exhibition opening on September 25 at the South Australian Museum.

Shells, teeth, sea creatures, bones and other objects can also become opalized over time (if they were at rest in the unique conditions of Australian alumina)

Rough opal is sold by ounce in Australia. 1 Troy ounce equals 31.103 grams or 20 pence. There are about 30 ounces in a kilogram

Ocean opal (Ocean)
The ocean is frozen in stone

Rainbow Opal (rainbow)
Living rainbow

raw fire opal
A kind of noble opal (sometimes called Mexican)
Opal is called "the stone of deceiving hopes." It is believed to support the talents of the owners (good and bad)

tree fossil with opal growth rings (fossil tree growing in opal)
Opal with Fossils.
The tree rings of the plant are clearly visible in this photo.

Black Opal (black)

Boulder Opal (cobblestone)

Fossilized Opal (fossil)

Welo Crystal Opal (Ethiopian opal)

Synthetic opals are produced industrially and of all types, but they differ from natural ones in that they have a more regular pattern.

Imitations

Materials that are not opals, such as painted glass or plastic, are opal imitations.

Many legends and superstitions were laid down about this stone, they were afraid of it and looked for magical powers in it. The Bedouins believed it contained lightning, and the Romans considered it the most beautiful of all precious stones. What is actually opal? Why does he attract people so much and what secrets does he hide?

Opals originated about 70 million years ago in the area of \u200b\u200bmodern Australia. It was then that the strongest downpours passed on the Earth, given the fact that before that there was a terrible drought, then there were many cracks on the earth. It was in them that water flowed with silica dissolved by raindrops. In the process, the cracks were filled and hardened, and beautiful minerals were formed in them, inside of which it was like a rainbow.

Few people know, but there are many variations of opal in the world. It can have different shades and inclusions, and inclusions - insects, other minerals and particles - are often found in it (as in amber). The color palette is striking in its variety; today they distinguish black, white, green, brown, orange, blue, red and yellow opals.

Almost all gemstones require cutting, only opals do not need it. But why not? After all, the cut reveals the most beautiful sides of the stone; without it, the diamond looks like a foggy piece of glass. Opal is a completely different situation, it is beautiful in itself, you just need to give it a shape in order to insert it into a piece of jewelry.

All stones are also classified by hardness, it is determined by the Mohs scale, where a mark of 10 indicates a high density and strength of the mineral. Opal, on the other hand, belongs to the group of medium softness (5 on the Mohs scale), so it is not suitable for inlaying into small jewelry, for example, standard wedding rings. With its softness, the mineral is not fragile, since water inclusions are frequent in it.

Today it is hard to believe in it, but in the 19th century European jewelers avoided working with opal. It seemed to them that such a perfect and beautiful material cannot be natural, that nature is not capable of creating such a stone. Many even tended to believe that opals are the result of magical manipulations.

All opals are beautiful in themselves, but experts still identify the most expensive minerals available today. These include black and blue opals, in which glowing blotches stand out most clearly. They can refract and play in flashes of red, green, and gold. Such opals are mined in Australia.

Opal has been in fashion for the last ten years. Before that, they were not often used in the highest jewelry art. First of all, because they are difficult to work with, they do not make small jewelry. Secondly, for a long time there were legends that opals bring misfortune. Since 2018, Cartier has presented large opal jewelery. From that very moment, a real boom for these minerals began, one after another, brands began to include opals in their collections. Today opals of various shades are in trend, which just coincides with the trend for large jewelry.

Mexican opals are called fire opals because of their beautiful orange and yellow color. They seemed to have absorbed all the warmth of the country where they are mined. In fact, the stones get this shade thanks to iron oxide. Many believe that such stones contribute to stamina and courage, some consider them to be sources of energy.

Ethiopian opals can also be orange and yellow, but they have more colored blotches. For example, such stones can sparkle with flashes of brown, red, green, yellow, and even blue. By the way, opals with blue blotches are considered very rare and expensive.

Noble and ordinary

Interestingly, not all opals are suitable for jewelry, especially when it comes to the highest jewelry art. The fact is that these mysterious minerals are divided into noble and ordinary. Noble ones are especially beautiful, they fluoresce, have deep shades and are well suited for jewelry making. Ordinary ones do not have a play of light, after special polishing they are used as an ornamental material.

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It is due to the presence of water (the percentage of water impurities in the stone can reach 20%) the surface of the stone is capable of emitting multi-colored rays when exposed to sunlight. At the same time, heat, dryness and bright sunlight are detrimental to the stone - it loses all its former beauty, for the restoration of which the mineral must be placed in water again.

Due to the high content of water impurities, the composition of the stone is unstable and quite fragile. Over time, opal loses water and turns into.

The most expensive type of opal is hyalite or Müllerian glass. Made from this mineral, they shimmer like pearls.

Hydroopal becomes almost invisible in water, but when dry, it takes on a white matte shade.

Rare black opal actually has just a dark shade of blue, burgundy, purple, while, in the presence of opalescence with a very bright rainbow play of several shades at once, the mineral is valued higher.

Opals are mined on all continents, but most of the mineral deposits are concentrated in Australia. In this country, in Sydney, as well as in Vienna and Washington, there are museums where the most famous opals are exhibited.

The best

Rebling's opal - belongs to the fiery variety of minerals, is in the American Hope collection;
The opal of Nuling Nera is in the Goddard collection;
Opal "Devonshire" - refers to large black opals (combines up to 20 color shades) - its weight is 100 carats. The stone belongs to the Duke of Devonshire;

Opal "Olympic Australis" is a giant weighing 17 thousand carats. The mineral was found in 1956 during the Olympic Games in Melbourne. The mineral has a gem value (quality - 99%).

The stone is kept in Melbourne by Altmann & Cherny Ltd. Its price in 2005 was about $ 2.5 million. Due to its purity and uniqueness, the stone still remains in its original organic form.

Opal "Jupiter-5" is the largest white opal. Its weight is 20.35 thousand carats. It was found in Australia in 1989.

Opal "The Lady of Glengarry" is the largest black opal. Its weight is 1.52 thousand carats. It was found in 1972 also in Australia.

The world's largest black uncut opal is named Halley's Comet opal. Its weight exceeds 396 g.

Famous opals with pattern

Opal "Queen of Fire" has a pattern in the form of a red spot;

Opal "Red Admiral" has a pattern that looks like a butterfly.
The 203-carat Andamooka opal from the Andamooka deposits in Australia is inserted into a necklace presented to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain in 1954.

The Ethiopian opal, found on the Welo plateau, is famous for its design enclosed in stone. In sunlight, the mineral displays a miniature scene of a real ocean floor;

The Opal of Fire, found in Mexico, has a "picture" of a fiery sunset;

Lightning Ridge Opal (a type of black opal) "shows" the electrical discharges of lightning.

Opals are a silica hydrogel that contains 6-10% water. Opals have more than 100 shades and their own names, depending on the inclusions of iron, nickel, manganese and other elements. Opals are colored red, green, blue, violet, yellow, blue, pink. Opalescence (play of light) can be point, solid, zonal, irregularities can stand out on the surface, which makes opals a favorite stone of designers. Translated from the Sankrit language, upala means “precious stone”. Its other name is "crackling" for its fragility and property to crack when dry. Therefore, opals love a humid environment. The shape of cabochons conveys the play of light of opals in the best way. 95% of the total minerals are mined in Australia. Not so long ago, a large deposit was found in Ethiopia. Other deposits: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Sudan, Czech Republic. England - mostly black opals or royal opals. A little unconfirmed data :) Magical properties The attitude of people towards opal has changed over the past 2 millennia: from admiration to rejection and fear. The mineral is considered a very powerful stone. In the Middle Ages, opal was called the "eye of evil" for its resemblance to the eye and its use for witchcraft. Only Scorpons, focused on their goal, are able to cope with it. It is recommended to wear it on the index finger of the right hand. A gold frame doubles its magical properties. Opals of white color affect the growth of spirituality, create harmony with the world around them, bring the gift of clairvoyance and prophecy, warn of dangers, enhance human qualities, both talents and vices. He is credited with the ability to give rise to deceptive hopes, this is a symbol of whims and betrayals. Chemically, opal is a mineraloid gel that is deposited at relatively low temperatures in fissures and cavities that have arisen in almost any mineral, but most often in limonite, sandstone, rhyolite and basalt. Opal contains 3-15% water, which gives it some duality. Despite the fact that opal does not have a crystal lattice, it still has a structure. Noble opal consists of nanospheres, which are twisted from the finest oxygen-silicon chains. It is a mineral, solid hydrogel of silicon oxide: SiO2 Opal is similar in composition to quartz, but differs in a variable water content. Andamooka Rough Opal Quite porous material comes from the Andamooka mine in southern Australia .. Raw Andamooka, when just mined, is completely matte. It is only after it has been sucked and oxidized that it looks like a real black opal.