There are only 5 precious stones, of which opal is one. The other 4 being diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire and all of them are simply minerals. Where opal is concerned, that mineral is silica. It is quite simply, in chemical terms, silicon dioxide and water. It boasts the title, “The Queen of Gems.”

Over 95% of the world’s opals are Australian in origin, and the most precious opal of all, the black opal, is unique to Australia. Each and every opal is so unique that the miner of the stone can identify it years later.