Opal

Opal is famed for its ability to diffract light and is very popular for its multicolor effect called opalescence and play of colors. The finest and the most popular opal is mined in Australia, but some good gemstones, can be found in Ethiopia, Mexico, Perù, Honduras, Guatemala and other countries in South America. It can be black, white, brown, orange, yellow and the finest quality show strong play of color and opalescence, sometimes in different pattern like pinboard or honeycomb pattern. It is a delicate stone but is commonly used and set in precious jewels, often cut into cabochon, can also be faceted, shaped in beads or carved in sculptures. There are many treatments for Opals, sometimes Ethiopian opals are smoked to become black or dyed and impregnated with other material, also Australian opal stones sometimes are layered with other material and called doublets or triplets.