October means Opals

October Greetings,

Not every one agrees on which birthstone is associated with each month. In fact, we've had some different opinions here at Bella Designs. I'm sticking with opals as the traditional birthstone for the month (if you prefer a faceted stone then pink tourmaline is the October birthstone for you).

Opals have an interesting history. In the Middle Ages, opals were considered the provider of great luck. An opal was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal. It was also believed it could make you invisible if you wrapped it in a bay leaf and held it in your hand. Hmm...

Most of the world's opals come from Australia - opal is the country's national gemstone. Opals range from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the reds against black are the most rare. Opals may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt.

There are different types of opals; natural, treated, or synthetic. Some are solid and others are assembled. Boulder opals are a natural combination of precious opal and an ironstone back.

The veins of opal displaying the play of color are often quite thin, so sometimes the natural opal is backed by ironstone, basalt, , or obsidian. Called an opal doublet, the darker backing emphasizes the play of color, and results in a more attractive display than it would have without the backing.

Another type of assembled stone is a triplet. Triplets have the layer of opal sandwiched between a backing and a top layer of clear quartz, ceramic, or plastic.

If you want to know more about opals take a look at the book Opal Identification and Value by Paul B. Downing http://www.amazon.com/Identification-Value-Rocks-Minerals-Gemstones/dp/0962531189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255118308&sr=1-1 or the websites http://www.geology.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal

We have a colorful selection of opals at Bella Design for you to see. Drop by and let us show you these beautiful pieces.

Rock