History Of Mexican Fire Opal

Since the birthstone for October is Opal, I am sticking with that theme, for now. Did you know there was an orange Opal, or even red? It is rare fire Opal found in Mexico. It forms from volcanic lava. You can read more about Fire Opal by clicking the link. Fire Opal can also be found in Brazil but it is not nearly as beautiful as the Mexican variety. It has a milky cloudy look to it. The ring shown is most likely Fire Opal. But since I did not test it before I set it, I can't say for sure. It could also be Mandarin Garnet, or Carnelian either of which would be fabulous with that color. It does have some inclusions but does not take away from its beauty. One of my favorite pieces. I love orange, and orange gemstones are not easy to come by. Like all opals, fire opals are very fragile. With a hardness of around 6 it is best not to have an expensive Fire Opal ring, or bracelet. If you really wanted something pricey earrings or a pendant would be better. Opals are also sensitive to all kinds of chemicals so use caution when wearing and cleaning your opals.

Fun Friday The Letter O: Opals

Today is Fun Friday at our Blogging For Fun group, and we are up to the letter O. O is for Opals.
Opal is the birthstone for October, and it is an old wives tale that if you wear opal, and it is not your birthstone, it will bring you bad luck. I have never found this to actually be true. The two pictures shown are Mexican fire Opal, and a very fine Australian opal. Fining an opal with the play of color, of that fine opal is very difficult. Most are milky white with very little play of color to them. I own one with awesome play of color, but it is a doublet, which brings its value down just a bit. A doublet is a real opal, but it is a very small opal, that is actually sliced off of the more not so nice part of the stone, and placed on a more durable substance such as synthetic spinel. There is also fire opal that comes from Brazil, but it is a more yellow color, rather than the orange that I love. The ring I believe is Mexican fire opal cabachon, but it could also be fire agate, or carnelian. It has two tanzanite accent stones on either side. I would love to sell this one, but I scratched the setting, when setting the stone, so I am fortunate enough to be able to keep it in my collection.

Mexican Fire Opal

Mexican Fire Opal, yet another form of opal for all you October babies. Fire Opal is the national gemstone for Mexico. Do you know what it is for the US? It is Tourmaline, one of my favorite gemstones. Fire Opal is the orange variety of Opal, and is quite rare, and expensive. Its main sources are Mexico, and Brazil, though I did see some recently from Ethiopia. You can usually tell the difference between Mexican and Brazilian because the Brazilian has a more yellow, and milky hue to it, where the Mexican is more crystalline. It is a rather soft gemstone, so care must be take when cleaning, and wearing it. If you love the color orange, then this is the gemstone for you. I do not personally own any, at least not that I know of. I have two small orange stones, but I believe them to Mandarin Garnet, not Fire Opal.