Genuine Fire Opal Gemstone

Fire Opal (Pronunciation: \'ō-pəl\)

Fire Opal gemstones are something unique in the splendid world of Opals. Even in ancient times, in India and the Persian empire, in the empires of Central America and in Native American tribes they were cherished as symbols of deepest love. Such gemstones sparkling with utmost vividness like Fire Opals were believed to have originated in the waters of paradise. Mayas and Aztecs loved it for jewellery and used it also for mosaics and religious cults. It was named “Quetzalitzlipyollitli“, which means“ Stone of the Bird of Paradise“. But there came a time when the gemstone knowledge handed down from generation to generation in Mexico was almost completely forgotten until sometime in the year 1835 when the fiery treasures hidden in the Mexican highlands were remembered, and a systematic mining was slowly beginning. Today Fire Opal is considered as the National Stone of the central American state.

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In Mexico there are the most important locations of Fire Opal in the world. The Mexican plateau with its many extinct volcanoes is threaded and veined with opaline rock. With only few exceptions the gemstone is hidden in niches and caves and is mined above the surface, so that in the areas of occurrence you will come across canyons with walls rising up to heights of up to 60 meters, and labyrinthine routes carved into the mountains.
Sometimes the orange red gemstone is also found in other countries in the world, like in Honduras or Guatemala , in the USA, Canada, Australia or Turkey, but in fact most of these occurrences are without considerable economic value. But this is different for Brazil: in an agate mine near Campos Borges in the South Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul yellow to range coloured Fire Opals were discovered some years ago, and these stones are set apart by their beautiful colour, which often appears slightly dimmed, but have no play of colour. Their vivid and warm orange varies in all shades and hues between yellow and red, sometimes set against a brownish underground. Especially remarkable is the size of the rough stones. Some achieve a size of a fist and thus allow for completely new approaches of design. These Brazilian Fire Opals today provide a fresh accent in the fascinating world of gemstones.

Powerful Gemstone with a Vivid Colour

The warm and fiery light of Fire Opal fascinates gemstone enthusiasts all over the world. This bright and brilliant orange is impossible to overlook! And the colour gave the gemstone its name, a stone which like all the other Opals is a silicate with a high percentage of water. The colour in turn is caused by traces of iron oxyde, and with a hardness between 6 and 6.5 on the Mohs’ scale it is counted among the more sensitive gemstones requiring protective setting, especially when worn as ring stones.

Fire Opal is not the same as Fire Opal. We differ between non-opalescent Fire Opal, which depending on its quality can be cut in facets or as cabochons, and the top quality opalescent Fire Opals which in addition to the vivid colour also display the colour firework which is typical for Opals. But even without this effect, Fire Opal plays an important role as a perfect top quality jewel.

Even if you do not really believe in the power and energy embedded in gemstones and in their mysterious effects, a Fire Opal will always create an impression evoking an idea of warmth and well-being. In the teachings of healing with gemstones, Opals are in general considered as gemstones to which one turns instinctively in order to augment or improve a special aspect of personality. And seen from this point, Fire Opal is an excellent assistant to make emotions flow and to ease blocks. Fire Opals endow you with courage, stamina, willpower and energy as experts will tell you. Their power will help you conquer petrified ways of thinking, thus preparing the ground for new developments. The warm and fiery orange red has a positive effect on the soul and gives a deep experience of warmth, peace and harmony. Fire Opals are the lucky stones for all of us born under the zodiac sign of Aries.

The Drier the Origin, the More Durable the Fire Opal

Fire Opal is either cut in facets – in so far as its transparency allows for this approach - or as cabochons, a shape which best brings out the powerful brilliance of this orange coloured jewel. The classical shape for valuable Fire Opals is the oval shape, but Brazilian rough stones are worked into many fancy shapes and cuts, since because of their size they offer designers and cutters almost unlimited range for experimenting with new ideas.

In spite of their relatively low hardness, Fire Opals are not easy to work with for the cutters. When executing the cut it must be considered carefully in which direction the stone best displays the firework of colours. Also, while preparing the rough stone and while setting the finished piece, excessive heat must be avoided under all conditions, as Fire Opal contains varying degrees of water and will simply break in case of artificially caused drying.
On being found, most Fire Opals are encrusted by a chalky white layer resulting from weathering, an indication of how some stone are aging due to loss of water, a process which will make them dull and cause fissures. Being subjected to this process, also to which extent: this does not only depend on how Fire Opal is treated, but also on its origin. An experienced gemstone expert will thus be able to determine from the place where the Fire Opal was found, whether it will be rather resistant and durable or not. Opal specialists know exactly where their stones are found, and can therefore give guarantees for the expected life cycle of stones. The rule of thumb is, the drier the place of origin, the higher the durability of the Opal.

Fire Opal reacts negatively to excessive heat as well as to contact with acids, lyes, and sharp objects. Extremely unfavourable conditions will fore the stone to shed water, making it dull and resulting in fissures. Like all other Opals, Fire Opal should not be subjected to intensive light for too long. It does, however, appreciate being worn frequently: the humidity of air and skin thus available will help the stone maintain its balance of water. But keep it away from cosmetics! Should the stone, however, have become dull, then a Fire Opal can be polished up again.

Gemstone for People who Enjoy Life

Play of colour, body colour and transparency are the three criteria determining the price of Fire Opal. The more transparency and “fire” it shows, and the deeper the red of its body, the more valuable it is considered to be. As rarest and thus most coveted stones is deeply orange red Fire Opal from Mexico which shows a high degree of play of color. Fine cabochons cut to display the highly coveted typical firework of colours of an Opal are more valuable than good quality Fire Opals cut in facets. The bright orange red to red gemstones are valuable treasures, which appeal mainly to people who are active and enjoy life. The fiery and warm colour encourages vivacity and joy of life and creates a yearning for the beauty of Nature, since Fire Opals themselves represent Nature at its most beautiful.

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