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Synthetic Opal
The name opal was derived from the Sanskrit Upala and later the Greek derivative Opallios, meaning to see a change of color. The ancient Romans called opal the “Queen of Gems” because it encompassed the colors of all the other gems. Historically, opal has symbolized hope, fidelity and purity. October’s birthstone, opal also is the recommended gift for the 14th wedding anniversary. Opal is a non-crystalline gem formed in the ground when liquefied silica washed into fissures in the surrounding rock and solidified into a hardened gel. Natural opal contains a variable amount of water and is very fragile.
Opal can also be created in a laboratory. ENLIGHTENEDTM - Swarovski elements offers its customers the finest created opal produced by Kyocera, boasting almost the same chemical, physical and optical characteristics of natural opal made by hydrothermal solutions in the earth. The charm of opal is the iridescent prism that appears in the stone in a variety of colors including blue, green, red, and purple. This phenomenon, called play of color, happens as light is refracted and reflected through layers of tiny silica spheres. Kyocera created opal offers high-quality color patterns that sparkle and shine like the finest natural opal. Moreover, created opal is more durable and has almost none of the internal inclusions found in natural opal. ENLIGHTENED™'s product assortment includes white, water and black created opal in faceted rounds from 1.50mm up to 3.00mm, with 1.25mm and 1.75mm sizes available (Spring 2005).
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