Opal Jewelry

Beautiful and breathtaking-Opals are such precious stones that exhibit flashes of the colors of the rainbow. The name Opal has evolved from the Greek word ‘Opallus’-this means a change in color. Later on, the Latin word ‘Opalus’ meant a precious stone. The ancient Greeks had a theory about Opals. It was known that these had fallen from heaven during flashes of lightning. So, opals were considered as a byproduct of Zeus. The Romans believed that wearing Opals would help them to have clarity of thought. These stones with their tiny crystalline spheres have dazzled women with their beauty, since ancient times. Their play of color and their brilliance is what has attracted people towards buying and wearing Opal jewelry.

Opals are probably one of the few stones that have a rich folklore behind them. Opals are always in a class by themselves. The colors in the opal jewelry are created by the arrangement of silica spheres within the opal. Common opals do not have the flashes of color. Some of the colors that are widely seen in the opal jewelry are light or dark body colors that maybe either translucent or transparent or milky white, light green and pink. Black opals and black opal jewelry are the most expensive of all opals.

It is the volcanic ash that gives black opal its color. This is entirely due to the tiny spheres. Their body color can range from dark grey to black. These even have fiery flashes of color as well. The hardness of the opals ranges from 5.5 to 6.5. (On the Mohs scale) Australia is known to be the largest and the leading source as far as opals are concerned. Some of the other sources of opals and opal jewelry are from the United States, Africa, Brazil etc. So, how does one go about caring for such precious opal jewelry? Opals would require you to maintain a few rules when it comes to care of opal jewelry. Read on to know some ways.

Tips to Care for your Opal Jewelry:

• To avoid damaging your opal jewelry, you need to take it off when you are doing household work or chores. For eg., avoid wearing opal jewelry when you are gardening or a trip to the beach. I know most women would find this process tiresome but it would definitely help to keep all the grime away and avoid any scratches on your opal jewelry. Opal is almost a material like glass, but there are a few exceptions. The glass-like structure makes it vulnerable and opals can easily chip or scratch. Therefore, care for your opal jewelry as if it’s made of glass.
• Extreme heat and cold may definitely damage any opal jewelry. This can generally happen when there are sudden and extreme changes of temperature. Everyday changes in temperature may not really affect opals; you must be careful to look out for any extreme change when you are traveling out of town.
• Opal jewelry can definitely be affected by makeup. In such cases, always remove all the opal jewelry that you are wearing, to avoid any smudges on your precious opals. Makeup can act as an abrasive material for opal; this is because the fine particles are like microscopic pieces of sandpaper! It rubs against the surface and cause damage by reducing the shine of the stone. This may not be visible immediately, but you will see the dullness of the opal as time goes by. Avoid using hairspray or perfumes when you are wearing your opal jewelry. When it comes to storing such opals, avoid mixing them with other jewelry. Store them carefully in separate cases.