Opal Stone Beads
Opal
bead has derived its name from the Sanskrit word "Upala",
which means a precious stone. These beads are actually amorphous
hydrated silica gel. Opal beads are the gemstones of hydrated
silica. These gemstones are the most challenging material for making
beads. The red color opal beads look very attractive. During the
manufacturing of these beads, instead of concentrating at a
particular direction (here red color), the manufacturers diversify
their concentration in different directions (here different colors).
These beads are available in shimmering colors and in translucent to
opaque form. The prominent colors of these beads are orange, green,
red, yellow and blue. Opal beads have a high degree of versatility, and therefore, these beads are found in different forms. These different forms are Australian Opal, Fire Opal, Peruvian Opal, Common Opal, Precious Opal and Opalescent Precious Opal. The important sources of these beads are Mexico, Peru, Brazil, U.S.A, and Nigeria. These beads are considered as birthstones for the month of October. The relative hardness of these beads is 6.
Opal Stone
Chemical Formula: SiO2nH2O
Mineral Name: Opal
Color: Opaque to translucent white with green, blue, yellow, orange, red crystals
Hardness: 5.5- 6.5
Specific Gravity: 1.98 - 2.20
Opal is a mineral of hydrated silica. They are luminous and iridescent with inclusions of many colors. Opal is a mineral composed of noncrystalline (amorphous) silica (and some water) and is a species of quartz. It derives its name from the Sanskrit name for precious stone; upala.The various varieties of opals are: common opal, opalescent precious opal (white or black, with a rainbow-like iridescence caused by tiny crystals of cristobalite), and fire opal (a milky stone that is firey orange to red in color with no opalescence).
Opals show a play-of-color (a shifting of spectral colors) when the spheres are uniform size and arranged in regular 3-dimensional layers. The range of colors is determined by the size of the spheres. The brighter and more distinctive the play-of-color, the better the opal.
Opals are found in the regions of Mexico, Brazil, USA, Japan, Honduras, Kenya, Czechoslovakia, Peru, Canada and finally Australia that has huge varieties of attractive opals.
