Jewelry has always been a sign of the wealth of their owner. But there is nothing wrong with imitating stones if you sell them at actual cost. Only the modern craftsmanship of jewelers, as well as the variety of types of stones, prompts you to ask a lot of questions when buying jewelry.
Opal and its types
Some opals shine in different colors, shimmering in the light, while others do not cast overflows. Naturally, nuggets playing with rays are more expensive, but each kind of opal is good enough.
Varieties of opals, taking into account color, gloss, transparency, hardness, impurities, are as follows:
- Half-open, opal jasper. The process of its origin is associated with the weathering of silica silicate rocks.
- Wood opal. It has a wood structure; it forms when wood is replaced with opal.
- Siliceous tuff. A porous type of stone that forms in hot springs.
- Tripoli, polished slate. A loose mass formed as a result of deposits of microorganisms.
- Noble. Gemstone, transparent or translucent, white, yellowish, blue, black.
- Ordinary. Semi-precious nugget of various degrees of transparency, without overflow.
- Fiery. A translucent variety of opal, without a pearly game, having shades of yellow and red. They are mined in Mexico, Turkey, and Kazakhstan.
- The black. Expensive type of stone of a dark shade. Its base is black, dark blue, purple.
- Boulder. Interlayer in glandular rock, rhyolite, basalt.
- Wax. It has a yellow-waxy, rich amber hue.
- Hyalite. Transparent-watery gem, with cluster-like peels on mosses and lichens.
- Hydrofan. Water stone with a porous structure. Filling with moisture, it becomes translucent with overflows.
- Jirazole. Translucent stones with a blue glow.
- Irisopal. Solid stone, colorless to brownish.
- Cacholong. It is a mixture of chalcedony, quartz, porcelain opal, milky, white.
- Peruvian Opal. It features amazing transparency. Stones of pink, bluish, blue shades.
- Green. Opaque stone, a bit like jade, but brighter.
- Chrysopaly. Non-translucent stones are light green in color.
- Prazopal. Opals of pink, blue, bluish color.
A natural stone
Opal belongs to the quartz family, but, unlike it, does not have a crystalline structure and contains a significant amount of water. The ripening period of the stone, known from the first decades of our era, lasts a whole century.
The high cost of natural opal is associated with important factors, such as:
- Gem rarity. Jewelry with opal is a premium. Mineral production sites are mostly concentrated in Australia (90%) and Ethiopia (10%), it is also found in America and Brazil. Of all the extracted nuggets, most of them are white crystalline opals. About 5% are black opals, expensive and noble stones - 1-2%.
- The capriciousness of the nugget. Natural opal may become cracked during its extraction from the bowels of the earth. Some minerals do not tolerate processing and polishing. Of the many parts of the mineral, only a small amount of stones can become jewelry.
It is hardly possible to assemble a string of beads or a bracelet with stones of the same properties and size, so the demand for the production of artificial minerals is growing.
How to distinguish a real opal from a fake?
The more expensive and beautiful the stone, the more temptation to create an analogue of it, and the more questions consumers have when buying a product.
Here's how to distinguish natural opal from imitation:
- An unusual, but accurate way to test opal for authenticity is to put a stone on its tongue: if it is artificial, it will stick, which will not happen with a real nugget.
- Under the influence of sunlight, a natural stone lying on the palm of your hand will paint it in a rainbow color. If the buyer is fake, such overflows will be absent.
- Patterns. If the opal is real, the drawings in its inner part are not repeated, the color of the mineral remains uniform. If the stone is artificial, you can observe a change in its brightness, and the patterns will be the same.
- Layering. A sign of synthetic opal. Layers are stripes, parts attached to each other. A natural mineral cannot have a similar structure.
- Transparency. If the stone has a clean, milky white color - this is a property of natural opal. If a darker base is visible, the stone is synthetic.
- Bubbles If possible, look at the stone under the magnifying glass, at the artificial stone there are miniature cracks filled with air. These bubbles are formed due to temperature differences during glass processing.
- Stones of very saturated colors - bright pink, poisonous green - are usually fake.
Gemological examination is the most reliable method of checking opal for authenticity, although it is paid. But the described methods will help to eliminate fraud from unscrupulous suppliers.
Cost
Opal is a very beautiful mineral, and the demand for it is constantly growing. The cost of the processed stone weighing one carat has a cost of about $ 100. The price of opal grows with its size and almost compares with the cost of gold. Three carat opal can be purchased for $ 200, six carats for $ 300.
Natural stone beads will have a cost from 150 to 450 dollars. The price of earrings with opals depends on the material of the frame, the type of gems and additional elements that make up the product. The appearance of the mineral will also affect the value of the jewelry: black is considered the most expensive. A bracelet made of stones of natural origin is estimated at seven and 20 thousand rubles, which depends on the conditions of the manufacturer.
Since there are very few natural stones in nature and consumer demands cannot be satisfied, an artificial stone has appeared on the market. Synthetic origin significantly reduces the price of opal. And the methods of its production are so advanced that the quality of the products remains quite high. Its advantage is that artificial opal is a more solid structure and gives an idea of the technologies used.
Suspiciously low cost of synthetic opal speaks of a fake of low quality. The crumb of a stone is equal in value to 130 rubles per gram.
Artificial Opal Production
After studying the structural features of the stone and thanks to an electron microscope, it became possible to produce synthetic opal. The first technology was patented in 1964 by Australian scientists A. Gaskin and P. Darre.
And in 1973, under the leadership of Pierre Gilsson, the Swiss company provided a large assortment of simulated opals, the cost of which was several times lower than natural ones.
The synthesis of opals is carried out through several stages:
- By hydrolysis of organic silicon compounds in a solution of water, alcohol and ammonia, globules of the same size are formed, after which they are subjected to centrifugation in the resulting suspension.
- In the next stage, the material is compacted by impregnation with silica sol and calcining in an autoclave (at 600 ° C) to give strength.
Opal is also grown by laboratory methods. Japanese and Australian jewelry companies, like the French technology pioneer, also prefer the synthesis of stones.
Many materials with plastic and glass in the composition may have an external similarity with opal. A high degree of porosity allows staining artificial stones with various fillers: resins, glass.
Gentrification
Artificial minerals are on sale, but you can also purchase ennobled natural stone. Precious, especially black nuggets, are very rare, so imitation of opal is becoming popular.
The so-called doublets are stones for sale, the upper part of which is a transparent structure, and the lower one is a glued dark base. Thus, the appearance of synthetic opal is as close to natural as possible. If you look at the product in profile, you can see the border of fixation of two layers. The cost of such decoration is several times lower compared to the present.
Triplet technology involves attaching a transparent dome to the base. An additional method is smoke impregnation. Its particles linger inside and give the product greater brightness.
Enriched artificial opal is more expensive than its ordinary imitation. Sellers can inform about the method of manufacturing the stone, its composition of two or three parts, but at the same time hide the fact of coloring. It is worth paying attention to the feature of the product that its upper, real and precious layer is not at all deep.
How to care for a stone?
The gem is rather capricious, and so that it retains its qualities, does not dry out, it is recommended to always wear it on the body. Earrings with opals do not need special attention, but if it is a ring, it must be removed when doing housework. At low humidity, the mineral becomes cracked, becomes cloudy. Chemicals are also contraindicated in disgrace.
To clean the stone using a warm soapy solution. You can use a non-rigid toothbrush, as well as pre-let the product stand in water. Then the product is enveloped with a damp cloth and laid out under the sun for several hours.
Given the fragility of the mineral, handling should be extremely careful. It is better to put opal in storage in boxes and special napkins, which will save the stone from external influences.
Application Industries
Opal is used in the jewelry industry, small fragments - in beauty salons for the design of nails. Polished stone plates are attached over onyx, obsidian, black glass. Due to its low strength, opal was impregnated with artificial resins, oil was applied to its surface, and strong frames were made for it.
The crumb of stone and small specimens can serve as jewelry for buttons, hairpins, brooches, cufflinks, wallets, caskets and other accessories.
Rocks with opal in the composition - diatomites, tripoli, flask - raw materials for the manufacture of cement and other building materials.
Interesting Facts
A variety of beliefs led to the fact that opal became a mystical symbol in magic, alchemy, is common in jewelry production. The word opal is of Sanskrit and Greek origin.
Interesting facts about opal:
- Opals are found in various quantities throughout the planet, and in 2008 they were also found on Mars.
- For some time, Tripoli was part of dynamite. The largest and most valuable mineral is worth $ 2.5 million.
- Opal is the official symbol of South Australia and the women's basketball team.
Stone Legends:
- Ancient legends about Zeus contain a story about how in the victory over the titans the tears of the deity became opals.
- According to an Australian legend, the Creator descended from heaven to pass on his knowledge to people, and each of his steps on earth was indicated by the rainbow color of opal.
- According to Indian legend, the goddess of love, hiding from the persecution of men, scattered beautiful stones.
Magical and healing properties
It is believed that opal brings calmness to its owner, helps with heart disease, fainting, stabilizes the central nervous system, eliminates tics and chronic cramps, and improves digestion. The stone protects the owner from the destructive effect of emotions, balances his condition.
If you do not take your eyes from the opal for a long time, your vision improves, intraocular pressure decreases, and the pupils acquire a magnetic glow. Lithotherapists recommend the use of opal for depression, insomnia, and recovery from stress.
In India, they believed that opal enlightens the mind, destroys fear and negative thoughts, builds relationships within the family. Among Europeans, this stone has become a symbol of friendship, hope, happiness, love. The opal amulet was considered a strong defender against the evil eye, it revealed knowledge of the future. Its magical properties also include the attraction of success in everything, the development of clairvoyance.
If you believe the esotericists, black opal can harm a person with a weak character because of his desire for vicious pleasures, as along with various influences it arouses passion. This mineral exacerbates analytical abilities, activates creative self-realization.
White stone develops a spiritual beginning, brings harmony and peace. For a talented person, opal becomes an assistant in the development of abilities, helps healers and psychologists, developing patience and compassion. A frame of gold greatly enhances the properties of the mineral.
Fire opals reveal masculinity, sensuality, determination, self-sufficiency. Blue and blue minerals help in achieving goals, in accumulating the necessary energy in order to concentrate it in the right direction.