Monthly Archives: December 2018

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF RHODONITE

December 29, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF RHODONITE

Rhodonite is a mineral belonging to the group of silicates and the family of pyroxenoids. Its main components are manganese and silicon, with some iron, magnesium and calcium, and its formula is: Ca Mn4 [Si5 O15]. Red in color, it is translucent, rarely transparent. Its brilliance is glassy, pearly and its perfect cleavage. It is found in crystals in the form of prisms or tablets, arranged in aggregates grained and massive, and its crystalline system is triclinic. Rhodonite sometimes has dark red luminescence.

THE COLORS OF RHODONITE

Rhodonite comes in all shades ranging from pink to red-brown, passing through magenta, sometimes with fine gray or black dendritic inclusions.

THE MAIN DEPOSITS OF RHODONITE

Rhodonite is formed by contact metasomatism, or in metamorphic rocks as well as in hydrothermal veins. It is found in manganese ores, and is often associated with other minerals. Thus, in New Jersey in the United States, it is accompanied by calcite, franklinite and willemite, while in North Carolina it is found with galaxite, magnetite, tephroite among others. In Australia, Brooken Hill is associated with galena and spessartine. There are special varieties of rhodonite, such as fowlerite, rich in calcium and zinc, from Nevada and New Mexico; hsihutsunite, very rich in calcium, which comes from the Beijing region of China; and keatingin, a variety of fowlerite particularly poor in MnO18.

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR RHODONITE

The choice of a rhodonite is essentially due to its color (pale pink, bright pink, red, with the black spots and lines of the inclusions); as well as the quality of polishing and size. Rhodonite is usually cut into round pearls or cabochons, but other forms are possible. Some Australian rhodonites, quite transparent, are cut into diamonds or degrees.

METALS ASSOCIATED WITH RHODONITE

Rhodonite is a very affordable stone that lends itself to the creativity of jewelers, as well as costume jewelery. It is associated with all types of metals, but rhodonite jewelry is mainly made of silver.

STORIES AND LEGENDS ABOUT RHODONITE

The name of the rhodonite comes from the Greek “rhodon”, pink, root word also of the rhododendron plant or another mineral, rhodochrosite.

In ancient Rome and Greece, rhodonite was worn as protective amulets against the attacks of malandrins…

A trade book dating from the sixteenth century describes this stone as beneficial: it would bring to its owner joy, intelligence and memory all preserving his honor.

This mineral is very popular in Russia, where it has been used to make all kinds of objects and also as decoration material for buildings. Thus, the Tsar Alexander II, who was emperor of Russia from 1855 to 1881, father of 16 children of several different women, became widowed for the first time in 1880. He had made for his deceased wife, Maria Alexandrovna, a tomb carved in a single block of 49 tonnes rhodonite, the largest ever found in the Urals! The sarcophagus itself weighed seven tons. In the museums and palaces of St. Petersburg, one can admire vases, rhodonite basins and even columns covered with this stone.

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF RHODONITE

Rhodonite is adorned with many virtues in litho therapy. It would be a balancing stone, protective and restorative.

Balancing, it would calm stress, especially during exams, and the overflowing of emotions; it would regulate the heart rate and activate the heart chakra. It would be particularly effective for adolescents who lack stamina and courage, and it would boost their learning and anxiety management skills. It would also be suitable for people with jealous tendencies, because of its trust-building and relationship-building properties.

Protective, like many gems with soft and pink tones, it would bring tenderness and sweetness, open the spirit of its wearer to others and promote affectionate relationships. On a physical level, it stimulates the immune system to better defend against diseases. It would have soothing properties against insect bites. Finally, it would help to find a good sleep if it is put on his heart at bedtime.

Restorative, it would help to overcome the emotional wounds and trauma of the past. To do this, some recommend taking a bath in which dip a few pieces of rhodonite. It would also have some effectiveness in resorbing painful joint inflammation, if applied to the area concerned. It would overcome negative emotions while giving them a positive potential.

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF PINK QUARTZ

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF PINK QUARTZ

December 29, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF PINK QUARTZ

Rose quartz is a particular variety of quartz, whose formula is SiO2. Like him, it is part of the great family of oxides. It is a silicate dyed by elements such as manganese, aluminum, titanium or phosphorus when it is rather transparent, as well as microscopic inclusions of dumortiérite when it is rather cloudy.

Its crystalline system is trigonal, its conchoidal break. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and its density is 2.65. Transparent to opaque, it has a vitreous, white luster, its pleochroism is weak and it has no fluorescence under the ultraviolet rays.

PINK QUARTZ COLORS

Pink quartz is rarely transparent. Most often, it is inhabited by inclusions that give it a slightly veiled, translucent appearance. Its color varies according to the proportion of the elements which color it, and goes from the pale pink to the peach color. Some examples, especially from Madagascar, when cut in cabochons show a strange white reflection in the form of an asterisk, it is the rose quartz quartz.

MAIN PINK QUARTZ DEPOSITS

This mineral forms mainly in magmatic rocks, such as pegmatites, and sometimes in hydrothermal vents. It appears as large crystals or translucent microcrystals. Quartz is very common on the planet, it is one of the components of the granite and one can see with the naked eye or with a magnifying glass its abundance in the sand of the beaches. It represents 12% of the mass of the lithosphere (the earth’s crust and the upper part of the mantle). The main pink quartz deposits are located in Brazil and Madagascar. It is also found in the United States and Tanzania.

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE HIS PINK QUARTZ?

It must be verified that the stone has no cracks in which the rose is darker: this would be a sign that the stone has been artificially tinted. The intensity of the color catches the eye, but beware however too large inclusions that weaken the stone. The most beautiful pink quartz has a soft and uniform color.

METALS ASSOCIATED WITH PINK QUARTZ

White gold and silver highlight the sweet tones of pink quartz. There is also a lot of non-metallic pink quartz jewelry because it is often cut into round pearls. Otherwise, it comes in polished cabochons. Particularly pure crystals are sometimes cut to facets.

STORIES AND LEGENDS AROUND PINK QUARTZ

In the Greeks, pink quartz was the symbol of Initiation. For Muslims, it is contemplation and for the Indians it would be the stone of maternal deity. In the ancient Middle East, it was dedicated to Astarte, goddess of love and war. In Egypt, at the time of the Pharaohs, he was believed to be able to slow down the aging of the skin and he entered the composition of beauty masks. Greek mythology tells that Aphrodite, rushing into the forest to save his beautiful Adonis attacked by a wild boar, was bruised in brambles. His blood mingled with the one that oozed from the wounds of Adonis. The drops of their mixed bloods turned into pink quartz stones … Another version of the appearance on Earth of pink quartz quotes the intervention of Eros, god of love,

A pink quartz skull was discovered on the border between Guatemala and Honduras. Like many other skulls carved in stone and discovered in South America and Central America, it would be linked to the legend of 13 skulls. A Maya prophecy says that thirteen crystal skulls, transmitted by celestial creatures to the Atlanteans, will one day be all together for great secrets to be revealed to men … For the moment, they are distributed in different museums by the world…

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF PINK QUARTZ

The sweetness of the pink quartz evokes peace, calm and tenderness … This is probably why this stone is considered comforting, it is supposed to heal injuries both physical and emotional. His contact reassures, reinforces self-confidence and the ability to accept oneself as one is. Linked to the heart chakra, this energetic knot of Indian medicine, pink quartz would facilitate breathing and strengthen feelings of love. It would help regulate endocrine disorders. It would have a moderating effect on blood pressure, strengthen the heart and facilitate the elimination of toxins.

This rock soothes and reassures, it opens the spirit to the spirituality and helps to repair the traumas undergone in the past. It would also increase sensitivity and empathy to open up to others.

It would provide protection against one of the ills of our society, namely overexposure to the various and varied waves that pass through our homes. There are lamps carved in large pieces of raw rose quartz, which diffuse a soft and relaxing light and repel bad waves.

Necklace worn, the gem would have the power to calm agitated children, even hyperactive. In case of blue, we can perform a light massage with pink quartz: the hematoma would disappear faster…

ASTROLOGICAL MATCHES OF PINK QUARTZ

Pink quartz in Western astrology is associated with the signs of Taurus and Libra. The bound planet is Venus, symbol of love.

The Chinese integrate pieces of pink quartz in the foundations of their homes during construction, to bring happiness to the home.

Physical and Optical Properties of Smoked Quartz

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SMOKY QUARTZ

December 29, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SMOKY QUARTZ

Smoky quartz is a variety of microcrystalline quartz, which owes its color (all tones of brown) to the natural irradiation or caused by the aluminum salts it contains. It belongs to the group of oxides: it is a silicon dioxide and its formula is SiO2. Smoky quartz is transparent to translucent, rarely opaque, and its luster is glassy. Its hardness is 7 on the Mohs scale and its density is constant (2,65). From conchoidal breakage, it has a trigonal crystalline system. Its fluorescence is variable and its pleochroism is weak.

THE COLORS OF SMOKED QUARTZ

The color of a smoky quartz is due to the radioactivity of the natural environment in which it has grown, the gamma rays having modified the elements and impurities it contains. Brown, gray, dark gray, black, the smoky quartz presents several shades, rarely homogeneous on all the crystal but rather distributed in bands parallel to the faces of the crystal. The Morion variety is black or very dark brown smoked quartz. The Scottish Cairngorm is rather yellow-brown. The quartz champagne recalls the color of the eponymous drink … Some smoked quartz have an effect of asterism (several rays of light on the surface, arranged asterisk) or cat’s eye (a single transverse ray as a pupil cat).

MAIN SMOKY QUARTZ DEPOSITS

Smoked quartz is quite common. It is formed in all types of geological contexts: igneous and magmatic rocks, such as pegmatites, sedimentary rocks, alpine fissures, hydrothermal veins…

The main exploited deposits are in Brazil, Madagascar, Scotland (Cairngorm variety), in Switzerland, in the Ukraine … Haute-Vienne, France, is home to large morion crystals, especially in the Monts d’Ambazac, a small massif located on the western edge of the Massif Central.

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE HIS SMOKED QUARTZ?

Smoky quartz is a financially affordable stone, whose physical characteristics make it easy to work with, thus making it possible to make a wide variety of smoky quartz jewels. It can be cut in a variety of shapes: cushion, square, pear, round, emerald, briolette, cabochon, egg, sphere, shuttle, princess and many other products of the talent of lapidaries. They find there to exercise all their creativity, because it is possible to work large pieces of smoked quartz at very affordable prices.

The deepest and most translucent colors are the most appreciated, with the least possible inclusions, and this beautiful slightly misty clarity that makes all the charm of this mineral. You should know that all the beauty of smoky quartz flourishes in the soft light of the sun, especially in the morning and late afternoon, while it is less valued in artificial light.

STORIES AND LEGENDS ABOUT SMOKY QUARTZ

The smoky depths of this type of quartz inspired fortune-tellers, especially in the nineteenth century: unlike crystal rock, perfectly clear, smoked quartz assured them to keep invisible to the laymen all the mysteries that revealed to them their balls of divination…

The castle of Braemar, of the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, located in the North of Scotland, contains a huge smoky quartz crystal which weighs more than 23 kilos! Smoked quartz was widely used in Scotland, especially to decorate Scottish kilts and make pretty brooches, as well as handles of daggers: called “sgian dhu”, these traditional highland daggers are worn inside the sock so that we see beyond the handle. The latter should preferably match the spit…

Much bigger crystals are still found in Brazil (more than 300 kg), but in Swiss Valais, we found in 1757 century a smoked quartz crystal of 600 kg! As for the famous Washington museum in the United States, the Smithsonian Institution, it presents among its collections of gems a faceted cut crystal of 4500 carats, that is to say 900 grams…

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF SMOKY QUARTZ

In litho therapy, smoked quartz would be considered the stone of responsibility and refocusing. Thus, it would calm the too strong emotions that confuse the effective thought, and thereby improve the lucidity and the concentration. By helping to think about and eliminate irrational fears, anxieties, internal contradictions, smoky quartz would strengthen not only self-confidence but also the ability to open up to others and make the right decisions. He would drive out morose thoughts and fight depression. If the expectations of its bearer are too idealistic and far from reality, it would promote the awareness and refocusing of energies on more reasonable objectives, more accessible, avoiding failures and disillusionment.

From a physical point of view, it would help fight smoking (as well as any other form of addiction, for example to alcohol or drugs), strengthen the connective tissue and muscles (especially the heart), as well as as the kidneys, pancreas and genitals. Thus, it would have beneficial effects on fertility. The morion, the darkest of the smoked quartz, would be associated with Aries while the lighter varieties would be related to the signs of Scorpio, Libra and Capricorn. The corresponding planet is Pluto or Saturn, depending on the case.

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE PEARL

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE PEARL

December 28, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE PEARL

The pearl is a biomineral, that is to say a rock of organic origin. It is made in a natural way by some bivalve molluscs, in the same way as the nacre that lines their shell. The pearl consists of thin concentric layers of aragonite crystals (calcium carbonate, CaCO3 formula) bound and supported by proteins. It is formed spontaneously when the mollusk reacts to the presence of an impurity or other foreign body that enters the shell (the nucleus), covering it gradually with mother-of-pearl.

White pearls are the densest (2.65 to 2.75). Under black light, the pearls develop whitish luminescence (for white) or red-brown (for black).

The pearls can be cultured by introducing a graft into the shells.

PEARL COLORS

The color of a pearl depends on three factors:

– the color: it goes from white to black through silver, gold, green, blue … It depends on the species of the mollusc producer, the composition of its environment, and the nature of the nucleus. The colors are coded by letters, each culture zone identifying a well-defined palette of hues. And for each hue, you can add a number from 00 (bright) to dark (100).

– The features: these are secondary colors that appear on the base color, in a translucent layer. Their presence is not systematic.

– The east: this is the name given to the optical phenomenon of iridescence when we speak of mother-of-pearl or pearls. The more aragonite layers are thin and numerous, the more these moving iridescence is developed.

THE MAIN TYPES OF PEARLS AND THEIR HARVEST AREAS

The abalone pear (Haliotis pie, Haliotis Kamtschatkana, mollusc also called abalone) is the most beautiful and the most precious, because its culture is not yet developed: it is therefore found in a natural state in … only one abalone out of 100,000! Hence its rarity among jewelers. Rich in color, with remarkable luster and brilliance, it is found on the west coast of the American continent, in Australia and New Zealand.

Akoya pearl, round and shiny, white to yellow, is produced in Japan and China by the oyster Pinctada Fucata.

The Tahitian pearl, produced in French Polynesia, is generally large in diameter and dark in color, from eggplant to black. The mollusk is the oyster Pinctada Margaritifera

The Pearl of the South Seas and Australia are from the Pinctada Maxima oyster (Philippines, Indonesia, Australia), they can be many colors.

Freshwater Pearls are the work of various species of mussels and are grown in China and Japan. Each mold can produce up to 50 beads at a time! Among them, the Biwa pearl comes from Lake Biwa in Japan.

Keshi pearls, highly appreciated by jewelers, are fortuitously produced alongside pearls provoked voluntarily by pearl farmers. Those of Tahiti are very famous.

Conch pearls, very rare, are not grown but found by fishermen in a shell called Lobatus Gigas.

The Melo Melo Wild Beads, in the South Seas, can measure up to 40 mm!

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PEARL?

The value of a pearl is based on several criteria: its shape, its luster, the quality of its surface, its size and its color.

-The shape: the pearls come in the following eight forms: round, semi-round, button, oval, pear, drop, baroque, and ringed.

– Luster: natural pearls often have a thicker mother-of-pearl, and therefore more durable and lustrous, than cultured pearls. The 4 categories of luster are: excellent, good, pale, weak.

– The quality of the surface is defined by 4 letters, from A (slight imperfections, on 10% maximum of the surface) to D (imperfections on 60% of the surface).

– the size in millimeters: most pearls have a diameter turning around 7 mm, but those of Tahiti and the South Seas go up to at least 18mm. The biggest pearls take 5 years to form.

– The color: according to the use that one wants to make, the choice of the color and thus the origin of the pearls will be important.

Sometimes, we find a tiny letter to qualify the pearl: “c” for classic, “r” as rare, “e” as exceptional.

METALS ASSOCIATED WITH PEARLS IN JEWELERY

Pearl jewelry is as good with silver and white gold as with yellow or pink gold.

STORIES AND LEGENDS AROUND THE PEARL

In China, in the third millennium BC, the pearl was collected as a tax payment. In Suza, Iran, we found an Achaemenid necklace with 216 pearls dating back to four centuries before Christ. Hindus say that Krishna would have gathered the first pearl in the depths of the sea, to offer it in adornment to his daughter on the day of his wedding.

Three Japanese invented the grafting process to produce cultured pearls with oysters: Kokichi Nishikawa, a biologist, Tatsuhei Mise, a carpenter, and Kokochi Mikimoto, son of a noodle seller, had the same idea almost at the same time. But by the thirteenth century, the Chinese knew how to cultivate pearls of freshwater mussels, and today they produce about 500 tons per year.

A beautiful Polynesian legend tells that the young princess Hina, on the island of Raiatea, was betrothed with a handsome young man, who offered him on the occasion of splendid pearl jewels. Happy, the girl promised to wear them only from her marriage, and in the meantime she had them guarded by armed men who watched them day and night. Despite this, a rejected suitor, Hiro, appealed to her on another subject. She had to refuse his request, and it was too much for Hiro who, seeking revenge, managed to steal the jewels and flee to the neighboring island of Huahine. The princess, weeping, sent against Hiro a huge dog with prodigious strength and flair. The mastiff hurried after the robber and rejoined the island of Huahine. Hiro hurried to bury his booty under a rock and then fled to the mountain. The dog manages to find the jewels thanks to its flair: he put his paw on the rock, and his gigantic footprint is always visible. Of course, the princess married her betrothed…

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF THE PEARL

The pearl is soft, tender and feminine. Like mother-of-pearl, it provides soothing and well-being; it would have positive effects on decalcification problems. Centuries ago, it was already used to treat dementia and epilepsy, as well as depression. In India it was given multiple benefits; especially against phthisis, ophthalmological problems, haemorrhages … Hindu medicine always uses powder, to revive energy, especially sexual. In the East, it is attributed virtues in connection with fertility and an aphrodisiac character.

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MOON STONE

December 28, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MOON STONE

The name moonstone is used as a trade name, to designate a mineral from the group of silicates and the family of feldspars. It is more precisely a variety of orthoclase which, when it is in the form of pure crystals, is called adular. Orthoses have the formula: K [Al Si3 O8]. Moonstone has a hardness of 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, and a density of between 2.53 and 2.6. It is a transparent to translucent stone, with a vitreous and pearly luster, a conchoidal or sketchy break. It comes in crystals, pieces or aggregates grained, mostly coarse. Its luminescence is variable according to the color (bluish or orange) but remains weak.

COLORS OF THE MOON STONE

Moonstone is usually colorless, but it can be white or have bluish shades. It is characterized by the famous reflection of a silvery blue, which gives the impression of sliding on the surface of the stone according to the movements that are printed to it. It is this optical phenomenon that is called adularescence. Beware, the gemstone called “Rainbow Moon Stone” is actually a variety of labradorite, another mineral. The Royal Blue Moon Stone has a beautiful transparency and bright blue reflections. The variety of Sri Lanka is pale blue that of India shows a cloudy texture on a beige-brown to orange background.

THE MAIN DEPOSITS OF PIERRE DE LUNE

Moonstone is formed in plutonic and alkaline rocks, particularly in granitic pegmatites, as well as in metamorphic rocks, and sometimes in hydrothermal veins.

The exploited deposits are mainly in India and Sri Lanka, but they are also found in the United States, Madagascar, Burma, Australia and Brazil, as well as in Tanzania.

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE THE MOON STONE?

To merit this poetic appellation of Moonstone, the adular must have a color devoid of yellowish tones, but instead have rich blue and silver reflections. The most beautiful gems have become quite rare and their price tends to increase. They show a very beautiful depth and clarity. The varieties “cat’s eye” (a transverse reflection) or “star” (several reflections arranged in asterisk) are very rare. The size is almost always in the form of cabochon, whose orientation is chosen to reveal all the splendor of the reflections of the gem. It is necessary to avoid all friction with abrasive materials because the stone of Moon is easily scratched.

METALS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOON STONE JEWELERY

Most jewelry with a moonstone is silver jewelry or white gold jewelry, because these metals in soft tones and rather cold harmonize perfectly with the lunar evocation of the gem and allow him to reveal all its discrete beauty.

STORIES AND LEGENDS AROUND THE MOON STONE

The Moonstone, so named because of its color, a milky white tinged with blue, like the nocturnal star, is sometimes called hecatolite: it refers to the Greek goddess Hecate, one of the three lunar goddesses. His companions are Artemis and Selene: the latter gave the name to another rock, selenite, which is a variety of translucent gypsum colorless to whitish. The Sanskrit name for the Moon Stone, “chandrakant”, means “beloved of the moon”…

In the Middle East, women wore moon stone to increase their fertility. In the West, in the middle Ages, some thought that couples of lovers could have a vision of their future if they placed a Moon stone in their mouth…

The Moon stones that adorn the threshold of Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka have nothing to do with our mineral, contrary to what we can sometimes read: they are carved friezes arranged in semicircles which symbolize the gradual access to knowledge and nirvana.

A legend tells that Pope Leo X had a Moon Stone that changed color, going from white to blue following the phases of the Moon!

Moonstone was often used at the time of the emergence of Art Nouveau, for decorative objects, including Lalique, which still makes jewelry with this gem.

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF THE MOON STONE

Moon stone has been associated in all cultures with the feminine principle, called Yin in Chinese medicine, as the Moon is the female star, while the Sun symbolizes the male principle. It represents the light that reassures in the darkness.

In lithotherapy, it would have healing properties against female disorders (inconvenience of menopause, infertility, menstrual pain …). It would promote eroticism and marital happiness. It would increase intuition, essentially feminine quality, as well as softness and tenderness, and develop tolerance. It would promote the full development of maternal love and soften the temperament of people a little too severe…

The Moon Stone would bring happiness and reduce the risk of accident. It would be for that the asset of the travelers.

ASTROLOGICAL MATCHES OF THE MOON STONE

The Moonstone would be associated with the signs of Pisces, Capricorn, Cancer, and Aquarius. It would correspond to Monday and the planet Uranus. Moonstone is the birthstone of people born in June, and its lucky character would make it a nice gift for … the lily of the valley wedding (13 years old!).

Properties of Opal

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF OPAL

December 28, 2018
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PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF OPAL

The term opal refers to a family of minerals composed of silica and water with inclusions of various elements. Its chemical formula is SiO2, nH2O, it is a hydrated silicon dioxide. The proportion of water varies from 1 to 27%. There is no crystalline system. The density of opals varies from 1.98 to 2.50, their hardness on the Mohs scale is 5.5 to 6.5. Under the ultraviolet rays, the opals have a white, yellow, greenish-yellow or green luminescence.

DIFFERENT COLORS AND VARIETIES OF OPALS

There are several varieties of opals. The noble opals, much sought after in jewelery, exhibit a phenomenon of iridescence, that is, they show a play of multicolored flashes of light. They are produced by diffraction of light on silica nanospherules of uniform size and arrangement. Common opals, on the other hand, contain heterogeneous or irregular nanospherules, and therefore have a single color.

Here are some types of opals:

– Fire opal, red hyacinth to fire red, transparent to translucent;

– Milky white opal, milky white to yellow-white or blue-white, translucent with a vitreous luster to matte; some have veinlets and masses of manganese oxide, these are dendritic opals.

– The woody opal consists of trunks or opalized branches. The dark circles of the wood are clearly visible. This opal is fragile.

– The hydrophane (or opal matrix) is white, matte and sticks to the tongue. Rather opaque, it has the property of changing appearance if it plunges into the water. It becomes more transparent and can become more emotional.

– Hyalite has great transparency; it is colorless with slight blue or green shades.

– The jelly opal is gray-blue with some light

Effects – The harlequin opal has beautiful iridescent glitter of all colors, it is very popular.

Healing Crystal Crocoite Stone

The opal is formed when water leaches silica and deposits it on layers of sandy clay during a drought. It is sometimes found instead of shells or bones. The location of the gems in the mine is therefore unpredictable, they must be searched by hand or with small machines to avoid the risk of breaking.

In the past, opals came from Egypt, India or Saudi Arabia. Nowadays, it is Australia that produces 90% of the opals sold in the world, precious gems and very high quality. These deposits were discovered by the German geologist Johannes Menge and 1849. One of them, Lightning Ridge, revealed opalized dinosaur skeletons.

Other opal producing countries are Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States.

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE HIS OPAL?

There are so many kinds of opals, so many different colors that the first criterion of choice obviously remains the tastes of each. However, the value of an opal depends on several criteria:

– the color of the iridescence: the red light effects are the most sought after, then come purple, pink and turquoise, very rare, and finally blue and green , more common.

– The intensity of the iridescence: in general and opal with a less prestigious color than others but with very bright and intense irides will have a price higher than a more sought-after color but with duller flakes.

– Transparency is also an important evaluation criterion, depending on the variety of opals.

– the motif: for example, Yowah’s opals have mosaics of extraordinary colors, which make the stone look like stained glass or cloisonné enamels.

METALS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH OPAL

The wide variety of opals gives free rein to the creativity of jewelers. We see this stone associated with gold, silver and prestigious platinum.

STORIES AND LEGENDS AROUND THE OPAL

The word “opal” comes from the Sanskrit Upala, through the Greek “opallios” which would indicate the color changes.

Some Aboriginal groups in Australia have a very poetic legend in their mythology: the creator god would one day descend on the Earth by sliding on a rainbow. No sooner had he set foot on the ground than all the stones would have sparkled, the same colors as the rainbow…

For Pliny the Elder, the opal was wonderful because it combined the colors and qualities of all other precious stones.

It is said that Marc Antoine dreamed of acquiring the magnificent blue opal of a senator named Nonius, with the aim of offering it to the beautiful Cleopatra. But the senator in question, rather than give up his stone, preferred to choose exile…

In India the opal is the symbol of the Trinity (Trimurti) formed by the creator god Brahma, the conservative Vishnu and the destroyer Shiva.

It has long been considered a lucky charm and present in the treasures of the European Courts. This beautiful reputation was once shattered by the influence of a nineteenth-century novel written by the Scottish Walter Scott, in which a princess is accused of being demonic. She wears an opal on the forehead and, in contact with the holy water, the gem loses all its colors and the princess is in pain … before disappearing, leaving behind only a handful of ashes.

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF OPAL

The Greeks believed that opal was a source of hope and a symbol of purity. She was known to increase clairvoyance, to make meditation and reflection easier, to improve intuition.

Today in lithotherapy, we continue to attribute these virtues to opal. It calms and soothes, promotes love and tenderness, improves the sentimental life of Gemini and Aquarius. It opens the spirit to spiritual life and restores vitality to tired people.

ASTROLOGICAL CORRESPONDENCE OF OPAL

Opal is the birthstone of people born in October. It is associated with several astrological signs: aquarius, gemini, fish, cancer, virgin … in Chinese astrology, it is the stone of the Serpent: it has mysterious depths, gives endurance and courage, and makes … invisible.

Healing Crystal Crocoite Stone