If you are born in the month of October, then you may be gifted Fire Opal Jewellery such as Fire Opal Rings, Fire Opal Pendants and Fire Opal Earrings. These items are also used to celebrate any 14th type of anniversary.
Fire Opal Introduction
The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Shakespeare, as well as many others, have all marveled at the magical fire opals that were first encountered in Europe after the Spanish Conquistadors brought them back from their travels to the Aztec civilizations in Mexico. They are different to other "rainbow" type opals in that they only have one colour play, from bright yellow-orange colours, to deep orange - red shades. These colour variations are down to the differing amounts of iron oxides that are present inside the gemstones.
Ancient beliefs meant that the fire opal was thought to be a cure for depression and that it could find the owner meaningful and true love for the wearer.
Fire Opal is relatively soft with a Moh's scale of hardness that equals 5.5.
Where is it mined?
Most of the fire opals mined today come from such places as Australia, Guatemala and the US, but the majority come from Mexico and some exceptional dark orange-almost red examples from Brazil.
Buying Fire Opals
As with all other types of gemstone, it is important to take into account their Colour, Clarity, Carat (weight) and Cut. Known as the four C's.
1. Colour
As mentioned above, fire opals are found in colours ranging from bright and light yellow-oranges, through to deep and rich orange-reds shades, with the latter usually the more sought after and valuable.
2. Clarity of Fire Opals
Poor quality fire opals can be found in relatively cloudy forms, but the better examples will be relatively clear and transparent in nature.
3. Cut
Unlike other gems from the opal family, fire opals are most often faceted instead of cut in to cabochon forms. The exception being the very dark brown examples that are nearly always cut into these cabochon designs. Because most fire opals are not terribly expensive, cutter can try to bring out the beauty of the stones without worrying too much about the remaining weight. So, just like cutting other stones, it is very important to concentrate on good proportions and symmetry. Rough large pieces are not worth purchasing, unless you can still get a good example from cutting later.
4. Fire Opal Size
They are to be found around the jewellery trade from small 1-2mm examples right up to very large versions of say 10.cts plus!
Prices
This is determined usually by its colour shade and transparency, with the deeper red shades demanding higher prices.
Enhancements
There is usually no need to treat fire opals to enhance quality, because their natural colour is most often already ideal.
Caring for Fire Opal
Fire opals contain a relatively large amount of water of around 10%. This makes them quite susceptible to drying out and possibly cracking over time, To try to eliminate this, it is a good idea to store them in something that may retain moisture and prevent the dehydration process. Excessive temperature changes also can cause problems due to the water content.
Being somewhat soft, they also scratch easily. Because a large component of ordinary dust is quartz at 7 on the Moh's scale of hardness. Simply wiping the dust off an opal (Moh's hardness of 5.5) will gradually reduce its polish, and they may also scratch easy due to their relatively soft nature. Even when cleaning with a cloth dust may scratch the surface, so a fresh and soft "clean" cloth is a must!
Fire Opal Introduction
The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Shakespeare, as well as many others, have all marveled at the magical fire opals that were first encountered in Europe after the Spanish Conquistadors brought them back from their travels to the Aztec civilizations in Mexico. They are different to other "rainbow" type opals in that they only have one colour play, from bright yellow-orange colours, to deep orange - red shades. These colour variations are down to the differing amounts of iron oxides that are present inside the gemstones.
Ancient beliefs meant that the fire opal was thought to be a cure for depression and that it could find the owner meaningful and true love for the wearer.
Fire Opal is relatively soft with a Moh's scale of hardness that equals 5.5.
Where is it mined?
Most of the fire opals mined today come from such places as Australia, Guatemala and the US, but the majority come from Mexico and some exceptional dark orange-almost red examples from Brazil.
Buying Fire Opals
As with all other types of gemstone, it is important to take into account their Colour, Clarity, Carat (weight) and Cut. Known as the four C's.
1. Colour
As mentioned above, fire opals are found in colours ranging from bright and light yellow-oranges, through to deep and rich orange-reds shades, with the latter usually the more sought after and valuable.
2. Clarity of Fire Opals
Poor quality fire opals can be found in relatively cloudy forms, but the better examples will be relatively clear and transparent in nature.
3. Cut
Unlike other gems from the opal family, fire opals are most often faceted instead of cut in to cabochon forms. The exception being the very dark brown examples that are nearly always cut into these cabochon designs. Because most fire opals are not terribly expensive, cutter can try to bring out the beauty of the stones without worrying too much about the remaining weight. So, just like cutting other stones, it is very important to concentrate on good proportions and symmetry. Rough large pieces are not worth purchasing, unless you can still get a good example from cutting later.
4. Fire Opal Size
They are to be found around the jewellery trade from small 1-2mm examples right up to very large versions of say 10.cts plus!
Prices
This is determined usually by its colour shade and transparency, with the deeper red shades demanding higher prices.
Enhancements
There is usually no need to treat fire opals to enhance quality, because their natural colour is most often already ideal.
Caring for Fire Opal
Fire opals contain a relatively large amount of water of around 10%. This makes them quite susceptible to drying out and possibly cracking over time, To try to eliminate this, it is a good idea to store them in something that may retain moisture and prevent the dehydration process. Excessive temperature changes also can cause problems due to the water content.
Being somewhat soft, they also scratch easily. Because a large component of ordinary dust is quartz at 7 on the Moh's scale of hardness. Simply wiping the dust off an opal (Moh's hardness of 5.5) will gradually reduce its polish, and they may also scratch easy due to their relatively soft nature. Even when cleaning with a cloth dust may scratch the surface, so a fresh and soft "clean" cloth is a must!
About the Author:
Fire Opal Jewellery can be found at www.GlobeJewellery.co.uk. Such as Fire Opal Rings, Fire Opal Earrings & Fire Opal Pendants.. Check here for free reprint license: Lets Discuss The Fire Opals.