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There is something about natural gemstones that always leave us staring. Whether it is precious or semi-precious gemstones, nature has always gifted us with incredible things. Opal is one of such supernatural stunning stones that remind us how amazing the presents of nature we have got. For those individuals who are lucky enough to celebrate their birthday in the month of October, have the choice to choose from a stunning pink tourmaline and an alleviating opal gem. When we explore tourmaline, you have a spectrum of shades to choose from. While opal gives you a myriad of white color ranges to pick for your preferred jewelry.
When it comes to beauty with power, we are a little opal obsessed. Opals are a perfect celebration of the prettiest autumn month of October. Only a few gemstones have been found in outer space than Earth. Opal is one of the gems that is said to be found on the planet Mars. As per ancient belief and superstition experience, real opal was thought to have the power to preserve life. Besides being the national gemstone of Australia, Opal is believed to be the favorite gemstone of Queen Victoria. She holds a very large collection of opals in her casket. Here in this blog, we will take a deep dive into the world of opal gemstones. From history and chemical formation to its astrological connection and metaphysical properties, we will go through every aspect of this supernatural gemstone. Let us begin with the chemical composition and physical appearance of opal gem.
All You Need to Know About Opals
Physical and Chemical Properties of Opal
Besides an array of hues, Opals are widely renowned for their significant play of colors. They exhibit a dramatic shift of hues depending on the change in light. These magical gems come in a variety of rainbow colors that ranges from whites to blacks to yellow to greens. It gives you a huge assortment to choose from pink, blue, brown, orange, red, and even colorless.
Natural Opals rank from 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale making them a rather soft gemstone in comparison to other colored gems. It comes from a hydrated amorphous form of silica, and owing to it, opal is known as a mineraloid.
Origins of Opal Gemstone
Dating back to about 4000 B.C., discoveries and mining processes of opal gems are quite similar to the ways emerald gemstone, ruby, and diamond were used to be mined. Fine quality Opals are primarily found in regions of Australia and Ethiopia. Whereas Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Hungary, Honduras, Sudan, Slovakia, Indonesia, Turkey, Czech Republic, and the western US are some other significant deposits of this beautiful gem. Australia, the land of kangaroos, accounts for 90 to 95% of the world's total opal production providing south, which holds approx. 80% share of the entire mining from this nation. Among all the origins, Ethiopian opals are measured as superior opals on the grounds of clarity.
Types of Opal Gem
Fire-Opals are transparent or translucent, that generally arise in warm shades of colors such as yellow, orange, or red. The brightness of fire is what draws a fine line between a precious Opal and a plain common Opal and becomes a determining factor of its value. In premium quality precious opals, the brighter and consistent presence of fire increases the value of the gem whereas the presence of faint and the dull play of colors reduce the price of the stone in the market.
Fire pattern is basically the arrangement of colors that carries a huge impact on the value of opal gemstone. A perfect combination of broad and brilliant colorful flashes is quite rare, henceforth it is valued more expensive in comparison with the small pinfire patterned opal. A true fiery patterned opal is highly desired while a common opal is most affordable but less effective on the astrological ground.
This variety of opal is often misunderstood with fire opal. Girasol Opal displays asterism and is transparent to semi-transparent milky quartz. It reflects a bluish-green to neon-ish luster depending on the lighting.
Peruvian Opal:
Peruvian Opals are the semi-opaque to opaque kinds of opals. These opals come in bluish-green shades. Peruvian Opals are mainly found in the Andes mountains of western South America and are relatively rare. It is the national stone of Peru.
So now as we have calculated, there are two varieties of Opals, opalescent opal i.e., ‘precious opal’ and the common opal i.e., potch opals. In general, premium opals exhibits remarkable flashes of color, whereas common or potch opal is often opaque and showcases no iridescent colors, yet is extremely attractive. Thus the physical properties of all these types vary considerably.
Astrological Benefits of Opal
Enhance Social and Financial Stature – Opal is ruled by the planet Venus aka Shukra Grah and Venus relates to luxuries and worldly desires of the native. Therefore, astrologers also hold deep faith in the opal ratan for not just elevating the financial conditions but also for maintaining the social and financial status of the wearer. It tends to endorse the person with a luxurious lifestyle.
With the extraordinary cosmic powers and metaphysical properties, Opal is like a blessing wrapped in the package of beauty, which helps the owner to cope up with the toughest situations of their life.
Note:- Astrologically opals are associated with the planet Venus or Shukr Grah. As Opals are astrological gems that carry supernatural cosmic powers and extraordinary vibes with them, which may not be equally beneficial for everyone. Thus it is highly advisable to consult an experienced astrologer regarding the suitability of the stone.
Buy Natural Opals Online
There are way too many different types of opals that arise in the world of natural colored gemstones. Pick the one that suits your style and matches your astrological requirements. Besides a sheer range of hues and scintillating play of color, Opal is amongst the most stunning stones ever found on the earth. So now do you really find any other gem prettier than this October birthstone? On account of the super charismatic mien and extraordinary astrological advantages, it is one of the most mystical and desired gems to date. Be it ruby gemstone or emerald, any astrological gem performs at its best when worn in its natural form, including opal. Meanwhile, when you are wearing this magical gem primarily for astrological purposes, you should always opt for wearing a natural opal stone for the best results.
Now that you have got a little sneak peek into the world of Opal gemstones, you can opt for wearing it after consulting an expert astrologer. However, in order to avail utmost results, you should always buy opal online only from a reliable gemstone store that provides you with a certificate of authenticity. So Opal is your go-to stone if you were born in the month of October. At Navratan, the online gem Bazar we bring to you the widest range of certified opals stone online at the most reasonable price range. Here you will get all the latest redefining luxuries along with an authenticity certificate. Besides the worldwide shipping facility at your doorstep, avail an easy return option for 10 days. Now explore the latest assortment of opals here..!
