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October- Opal |
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Hardness- 5.5 - 6.5
Color- clear, blue, red, black orange, yellow
Crystal- Amorphous |
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The name Opal came from the Greek "opallus" which means change in color. The Latin word "opalus" came from looking at the gem and simply means precious stone.
Opal is found in Mexico, Brazil, Australia and the United States. Good black opals are highly valued by many people and are usually made into beads, rather than stones.
Some belive that opal is an unlucky stone and should not be worn, but many people brave the fates and buy opals for their brilliant color and the fact that no two stones are ever alike. |
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Opal is made of Silicon and Oxygen that contains water. Quartz is also SiO2, but it lack the water that gives opal its disticntions. A very wet stone, usually 6% 10% of the stone is water, and in very valuable gems it can be up to 21%.
Opals, all except blacks, get their color from the tiny spheres that make up a stone. The size of the spheres alters the colors, smaller spheres give the stone violet or bluish color. Bigger shperes give the stones orange or red color. |
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A unique characteristic of opal is that it is formed by filling in cracks or holes in the surface. Because of this if the conditions are right opal can be found in trees and sheels, see pictures below. |
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Main Page Chem X Home |
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November |
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