So what makes an Opal precious? What are Opal made up of? Well at the basic level the Opal is a precious stone that is comprised of silica dioxide and varying amounts of water. Where it differs to other precious stones is that the opal does not form crystals but is made up of tiny balls of silica arranged in a regular pattern. Where are Opals primarily found? Opals are found in the following areas: The major areas in Australia for opal deposits are Andamooka, Coober Pedy, Lightning Ridge, Mintabie and Queensland. In the Americas, opal is found in Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico and the ...

I remember the first day I fell in love with Opal. To this day the fact that every Opal is unique still fills me with amazement. Can you remember the first day you fell for the illustrious Opal? Throughout the ages most cultures believed that the opal was a lucky stone imbued with mystical or supernatural powers. You can see by the following beliefs that opals were seen in a positive light by many different cultures. To start with Europeans saw the opal as a symbol of hope, truth and purity and if you travel back to the times of the Ancient Greeks & Romans by wearing an opal it was comm...

Australian Fire Opals Vs Mexican Fire Opals Only a few gemstones in the world can evoke such a thrill and admiration as opals. But, among many different types of opals, one stands out – the fire opal. However, not all fire opals are the same. Fire opals were first discovered in Australia, in the second half of 19th century and people immediately fell in love with them. Australians started to exploit and mine fire opals in order to sell them to rich customers in Europe, the most famous aficionado being the Queen of the United Kingdom, Victoria, who had the entire collection of Australian op...