Mexican Fire Opal Information

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You will come across with two major kinds of Mexican fire opal. The first are a transparent orange, red, and yellow without any play of colour. Meanwhile, the second is brown and consists of tones, which are quite similar with some other precious opal. Mexican Fire opal, compared with other opals are subtle stones are responsive to stress, as well.

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Faceted Mexican Fire Opal

Mexican Fire Opal Stones

Mexican Fire Opal Specimens

Mexican Fire Opal Pairs

Opals have proven to be the finest and most well-suited gem for pendants, earrings, brooches. Opal is the specific birthstone for those individuals who are born in October. With colours, ranging from yellow to orange then, to red and brown on different angles. When purchasing Mexican Fire Opal, its play of colour is the most important.

In fact, keeping them in a stretched plastic bag, with a moist piece of cotton or cloth will help to avoid dryness. Due to their water content, opals are also perceptive to rapid changes in heat. The MOHS scale is used to determine if a mineral was delicate or hard. A score of 5.5 is the hardness of window glass.Opal tends to measure at similar5.5-6 rates in stiffness, just cleaning the dust off from an opal will steadily decrease its shine. The best solution is to sanitize your opals by using a soft fabric. Also, fire opals are well-suited for pendants, earrings, and brooches.

The Legend of Fire Opal

The term “Opal” originates from the Greek word “Opallus” which literally means to make out a change in colour. Presently, the Latin word “opalus” developed, which means valuable stone. For earliest people who have believed in the therapeutic control of Opal. It is stated to be able to resolve despairs and to assist its wearer to discover true love.

The ancient civilizations of central America, the Aztec or Mayan considered fire opal as a stone that represented life and was created in the heavens. Fire opal was known as the Paradise bird due to its brilliant colours compared to other gemstones and was created in heavenly waters.

Unfortunately, many records were destroyed by Spanish conquistadores and most oral information has been lost

Today the metaphysics of fire opal is that it will fill your soul with joy and happiness, and one only has to look to fire opal and enjoy the colours and fire that helps releases free flow of your emotions and feeling of warmth and harmony.

Fire opal is also associated with the second charka and is said to promote sexual healing and therefore helps current relationships

Cut:

Fire opals are frequently facetted, but can also be perceived from cabochon. However, the brown fire opals displaying a play or colour are always engraved as cabochons.

Colour:

The rarest and well-regarded colour of the fire opal is the intense red-orange, which originated from Mexico.

Transparency:

Unlike several opals, high-quality fire opal can be lucid to transparent. In fact, fewer grades have the tendency to have a gloomy appearance.

Illumination:

Fire opal looks best during daytime or when the sun risesdisplaying its brilliant colour and fire, which are truly beautiful.

Fire Opal’s Locality and Deposits

Mexico has world famous fire opals that were mined from 1870 in Queretaro is Santa Maria del Iris

There are still mines working around Queretaro today ,and are mostly small scale family mines

In 1950 good deposits were found in the state of Jalisco,and even today you can book tours of Magdalena opal mines and visit the opal pit .some local do call Mexican opal Jalisco opal.

Opals are mined in Mountain ranges, as these opals are volcanic.

Rock cavities were filled with silica, crystalline forms and an opal is formed and as it is amorphous it is classed as mineraloid.

Common name for Mexican opals is Fire opals and were not discovered till 1835 but ancient Mexican civilizations known as Mayans or Aztecs did use opals in their rituals

Fire Opal Gemology

Class: Opal

Chemical Composition: SiO2 .nH2O hydrous silicon dioxide

Resistance: 5.5 to 6.5 (based on Moh’s scale)

Refractive Index: 1.37 to 1.52

Crystal Structure: Amorphous

Specific Magnitude: 1.98 to 2.50

Birefringence: None

Colour of Streak: White

Absorption Spectrum: 590 – 400, 700 - 640

Fluorescence: Green-brown

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