Opal: Australias National Gemstone

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You may know the opal for a lot of things, but you may not know that the opal is actually the national gemstone of Australia. In 1993, Governor-General Bill Hayden named the opal as the national gemstone. To the indigenous people of Australia, this gemstone is known as the “fire of the desert” as a result of its brilliant flashes of color. The Australian opals are the most famous varieties of opal in the world as their opal fields produce the black opal. The black opals are known for being the most expensive and highly sought after opal. The black opals, which are the finest of the opals, are found in the Lightning Ridge area of New South Wales.

Today, opals can only really be found in a few places across the globe. Australia is responsible for about 90% of the world’s production. These opals can show off some incredible flashes of color that come in green, orange, red, and blue which are against a backing that has a color of black, blue, and grey. The deeper red and Harlequin patterns in opals are the rarest varieties of opals and are also considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world, behind the Argyle pink diamonds.

White Opals From Australia

A lot of the white and light colored opals come from the opal fields in the White Cliffs field in South Australia. These white opals are considered to be the most common of these valuable opals. These will tend to have a milkier color when it is compared to the black opal. Each of these individual stones are distinctive, meaning that no opal is like any other. They may look the same head on, but at different angles you can notice the differences.

Australian Opal In History

According to the indigenous lore, they told stories of how the opal was created from the “combustion of the desert”. This stone is also the birthstone for people who were born in October. The opals are typically identified by the tone and origin of the specific opal. There are many different classes of opal, including black; crystal or milk; pale or glow; Yowah nuts; matrix or boulder; and fire and Mexican opals. The individual mineral structure of the opal does vary depending on the particular field it was created in.

One of the things that most set the opal apart from the other stones is how its brilliant colors change depending on the angle it is held at. Opals are valued and categorized based on the body color, along with the brilliance of the opal, as well as the play of color. If you are looking for a unique gemstone that really stands out in your jewelry, you will want to get an opal. These are gorgeous gemstones that are truly a unique choice that will really start up a conversation. Every piece with an opal is like a one of a kind piece since no two opals are alike.

SHOP FOR AUSTRALIAN OPALS