Australia’s desert regions are home to the most precious Opals in the world!
Play-of-colour is what makes Precious Opal rare – common Opal is abundant and was even recently found on Mars.
Pictured: A brooch by Marcus & Co. from the early 1900’s features a Queensland Boulder Opal carved cameo of Aurora, goddess of the dawn, flying through a sky lit up with diamonds. Demantoid garnet fish and seaweed decorate the ocean bottom.
The jewellery industry is increasingly motivated by and linked to trends in the fashion industry. Fashion is all about colour and the colour schemes change … Read more
Opal has always inspired the world’s Master Jewellers – Louis Comfort Tiffany, Rene Lalique, Verdura and Cartier to name a few, have all set numerous Opals in astonishing designs.
Given a broad selection from which to choose, notwithstanding budget constraints, most customers prefer free shapes, particularly as they lend themselves to truly ‘one of … Read more
Precious Opals are beautiful wherever they are found. Indonesia, Ethiopia, USA, Mexico & Brazil produce around one quarter of annual output in commercial quality stones.
It is a very personal choice, especially given the extremely diverse nature of Opals to choose from. As a rule ‘don’t buy the first one you see’, straight away at least, look around and educate yourself.
Black Opal is an exceptionally rare and finite Gemstone, the world’s finest Black Opals are found at Lightning Ridge. Contrary to popular misconception even the vast … Read more
‘Play of colour’ is the correct term for the iridescent effect and rainbow colours seen in Opal. In contrast Opalescence is correctly applied to the milky … Read more
The colours and patterns seen in opal are known as Opalescence. – FALSE
‘Play of colour’ is the correct term for the iridescent effect and rainbow colours seen in Opal. Opalescence is correctly applied to the milky effect seen in common opal or potch, moonstone or opal-glass. It is due to the scattering of light by small particles within the stone.
Opal was a favourite gem amongst the ancients, the first literary record by an Ancient Greek scholar Theophrastos was around 300BC. India may have been … Read more