22860000 22860000 (`@````````` 266 263 5 110185200 110185200 Text Box:    Australia is the classical Opal country and today is the worldwide most important supplier of Fine Opals. Almost 95 per cent of all Opals come from Australian mines. The remaining five per cent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil’s north, also in the US states of Idaho and Nevada, but recently the stones have also been found in Ethiopia and in the West African country of Mali. The history of Australian Opal began actually millions of years ago, when parts of Australia were covered by a vast inland sea, and stone sediment was deposited along its shoreline. When the water masses flooded back, they flushed water containing silica into the resulting cavities and niches in the sedimentary rocks, and also the remains of plants and animals were deposited there. Slowly the silica stone transformed into Opal, for basically Opals are simply a combination of silica and water. Or, to be more precise: Opals are a gel from silica, with varying percentages of water.

Text Box: Opal origin and Lore

Text Box: Text Box: Opal Facts ¨ Hardness: 5.0 to 6.5 ¨ Base Color: Transparent, Opaque, Semi-Black, Black, Orange ¨ Durability: Will scratch and chip , breaks occasionally ¨ Availability: Only 5% of the Opal found is of any value and 95% of that is low quality. ¨ Most Valuable Opal: Named "Aurora Australis" a black Opal weighing 180 carats with a value over $1,000,000 ¨ Opal birthstone for October ¨ Opal is the stone for the 14th wedding anniversary ¨ The rarest color of Opal is Black ¨ The first synthetic Opal was created in 1976 ¨ Some people believe Opal is bad luck when worn of it is not your birthstone

 

Text Box: Opal Information

Text Box:    The group of fine Opals includes quite a number of wonderful gemstones, which share one characteristic: they shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colors full of fantasy, which experts describe as “opalising”. Depending on the kind, place of occurrence, and color of the main body, we differentiate Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland – the so-called “picture stones“, and also Mexican and Fire Opal. Opal variations are practically unlimited. They all show in their own special way that unique play of colors – except for Fire Opal, which due to its transparency, however, is nevertheless also considered a Fine Opal specimen. If Opals are lacking the typical play of colors, they are simply named “Common Opal”. The rest of the Opal story

   Numerous legends and tales surround this colorful gemstone, which can be traced back in its origins to a time long before our memory, to the ancient dream time of the Australian aborigines. It is reported in their legends that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring the message of peace to all the humans. And at the very spot, where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow. That was the birth of the Opals.