Low specific gravity and hardness.Ĭommonly used as a gem and as an ornamental stone.Īlthough opal has a composition that includes SiO 2, its physical properties are very different from quartz. Translucent, opaque, semi-transparent, and, rarely, transparent.Ģ.0 to 2.2, varying with impurities, which include various amounts of waterĬonchoidal fracture. Rough opal can have a dull, pearly, waxy, or vitreous luster. The play-of-color of precious opal displays spectral colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Some of the most beautiful common opals are red, orange, pink, green,or blue. Therefore opal is a " mineraloid" rather than a " mineral."Ĭommonly having a bodycolor of white, yellow, gray, black, or brown however, the bodycolor of opal can be any color. It is amorphous, without a crystalline structure, and without a definite chemical composition (it contains a variable amount of water, as shown by the "n" in its chemical composition). Mineralogically, opal is a hydrous silicon dioxide with a chemical composition of SiO 2. It can be surprisingly beautiful! Common Opal has color, pattern and beauty that can be anything but common. If you are just starting to learn about opal, here are three varieties that might surprise you: Fire Opal is known for its intense red, orange and yellow colors - the colors of a fire! Boulder Opal is opal with attached host rock. There are many types of opal found in deposits around the world. The best opals command prices per carat that rival expensive diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. A nice precious opal can flash every color of the spectrum with an intensity and quality of color that surpasses the fire of diamond. Opal is one of the world's most popular gemstones and the birthstone for the month of October. "Thank you for the awesome new tool that is part of the Fire Mountain Website - "Colors of Gemstones, Shell and More.VIDEO: The Life of an Opal: Justin at shows you the journey of an opal, from mine to workshop to finished gem. Please keep in mind that the comments expressed below are those of our customers and do not reflect the views of Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. We would like to share some of the customer comments we received in response to the "Colors of Gemstones, Shell and More" guide, featured in a newsletter. Green, grey, red, orange, yellow - all colors Golden color-translucent with occasional bandings Twisting and turning bands of various colors Subtle shades of reddish-brown with cream and greyĮarth tones with terra cotta reds and hints of purpleĭistinct appearance of grey, mauve and pink color combinations Has a "crackled" look (web-like pattern of white crackles) created via heat treatment, and color enhancement produces the fiery oranges and redsīlack, blue, fossil, gold, green, white, pink, purple, red or orange Glowing rusty orange color with scattered veins of grey-white. Green-transparent/translucent with occasional bandingsĭark to lime green with creamy tones and a varying black and grey matrixĪmber color - can vary in color from yellow to red to honey brown White background with green splotches (semitranslucent to opaque) Translucent to opaque, with black cross-like pattern on a light brown background, can also be dark green and transparent Red-brown, golden, yellow and white mixed in very broad patterns Multicolored (green/blue/clear/purple/golden)ĭeep brown, brick red, grey/black and cream colorsĬhocolate brown with grey and caramel colorsĮarth tones with terra cotta, red, tan, brownīrown/tan background with golden/light brown patternsīrown stone with a heavy golden/metallic, shimmering chatoyancy Mint green with spotted grey/black specks in varying patternsīlue, some pyrite or white calcite (usually dyed)ĭenim blue, some pyrite or white calcite (usually dyed) Swirls and spotted patterns in grey, black and white Translucent, grey color with occasional banding Rich dark brown-black color with marbled red and greyĬreamy pink tones against a dark backgroundĭark stone, blending black, grey and brown colors with cream specks
Translucent to opaque black, may show occasional banding Green, rust, grey, cream, blue, brown, and camel color A range of bead materials organized into color families: black and stone, blue and purple, green and aqua, red and pink, white and clear, and more.
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