Australian Opal Earrings

2.75" long, Australian Opal rondelles, sterling wire and ear wires.

The word “Opal” is derived from a Sanskrit word for “stone” and has three subgroups: precious opals, yellow-red fire opals, and common opals. The flash of color (best seen in round cut forms) is caused by microscopic spheres of Cristobalite (a type of silica) layered in siliceous jelly causing diffraction and interference patterns. Opals contain water; if the water is lost (evaporation over time causes cracks) it can diminish the color play or “fire” but can be temporarily restored by saturation with water, oil, or epoxy resin.

White Opals are the most well known and most used in jewelry; Black Opals are rarer. Some of the best deposits used to be in East Slovakia but have since been found in Australia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Nevada, and Idaho. In the 19th century Opals had an “unlucky” reputation but rebounded and remains one of the most popular gems. It has been associated with good fortune, intense spiritual energy, and emotional amplification. Black Opals is magic and mysterious—it connects the root and crown chakras, magnifies your intentions, and is a powerful manifester,