Origin-: Opal was first discovered in Mezero, Shewa province in Ethiopia in the early 1990’s.

Gem Color-: Multi-colored (all colors)

Luster-: Vitreous, greasy, pearly, resinous, waxy, dull.

Diaphaneity-: Transparent to opaque.

Birthstone-: October.

Hardness-: 5-7 on the Mohs scale.

Astrological Sign-: Cancer, Aquarius.

Occurrence-: Gondar, Ethiopia, Africa, Welo, Afar Province.

Metaphysical Properties -:

• Mysterious, powerful, emotive, the fire and brilliance of Opals captures the imagination.
• Both calming and stimulating, the precious opal opens the door to altered states of consciousness and induces psychic and mystical visions, stimulating originality and dynamic creativity.
• Simple beauty, complexity of design, and almost magical presence, stops the chatter and noise of the mind and ego in its tracks, often with flashes of great insight and intuition.
• Opals depth and clarity allow wisdom’s clear vision to arise.
• Stone of inspiration.
• It can be used to strengthen the memory and to instill faithfulness and loyalty with respect to love, personal affiliations, and business relationships.

Treatments, Enhancements & Care-:

• It can easily chip, crack or fracture when exposed to shock.
• Due to its lack of durability, opal is occasionally treated or impregnated with mineral oil, glycerin, plastic, or wax which acts as a bonding agent.
• Being a hydrated stone of variable composition, opal can have a high water content and this can lead to breakage from sudden changes in temperature (thermal shock) and potential problems when cleaning the stone with steam or ultrasonic cleaners.