OPAL

Opal is a unique semi-precious stone known for its inimitable 'play of colour' (often loosely called opalescence): inside the stone all the colours of the rainbow seem to flash and shimmer, changing depending on the angle of view and the light. This effect arises from the interference and diffraction of light by ordered microscopic silica spheres. Opals range from milky-white and black to fiery-orange; only precious opal shows play of colour, while common opal does not. The play-of-colour pattern differs from stone to stone. Historically the opal is surrounded by both fascination and superstition, but was always valued for its magical play of light. It is worked as a cabochon to emphasise the shimmer. Opal is a semi-precious stone of inimitable play of colour, in which a microstructure creates living, changing flashes of all the colours of the rainbow, making every stone unique and giving jewellery an almost magical, hypnotic beauty.