YELLOW ORANGE OPAL

• Product name: Natural Opal
• Shape: Oval cabochon
• Color: Yellow Orange
• Stone size mm: 6.90x4.90 mm
• Weight: 0.50 carats
• Stone Clarity: Opaque with no visible inclusions
• Treatment: Untreated
• Iridescence: Medium
• Origin: Ethiopia

Opal (from Latin opalus which probably comes from Sanskrit upalus = "precious stone") is an exceptional mineral that is only amorphous, being a hydrated silicate with the chemical formula SiO2*nH2O.

As the percentage of water can reach 25% as an amorphous solid body, the opal appears like glass without having a crystalline structure.

The mineral frequently appears in nature as the filling of a vein, or as granules. Opals are very rare, so they are not exploited industrially. Opal has been found on all continents but 97% of opals come from Coober Pedy, South Australia. Not long ago, significant opal deposits were discovered in the Welo region of Ethiopia

The color of the mineral is very variable, from colorless to grey, red, brown, yellow, rarely due to some impurities, orange or reddish copper (called "fire opals").

The "wood opal" variant is formed by the phenomenon of impregnating wood with silicates. Hydrophane or "water opal" exhibits a play of light colors similar to water. Roman culture was considered the "stone of love" or the "stone of hope".