Beautiful blue Angelite from the high mountains of Peru.

Beautiful blue Angelite from the high mountains of Peru.

Esponite (new discovery in 2021) from Kunar, Afghanistan.

Esponite (new discovery in 2021) from Kunar, Afghanistan.

Pink Andean Opal from the high mountains of Peru.

Beautiful minerals from the Andes of Peru! And above all fair and no treated stones, these are the hallmarks of Peru! Furthermore, the stone industry creates a lot of employment in the poor Andes area.
Availability: In stock
SKU
10875
Pink Andean Opal from the high mountains of Peru. is available to buy in increments of 1

The mineral opal is an amorphous variety of quartz, SiO2nH2O, hydrated silica with a water content of up to 20%. Opal can be colorless, white, milky blue, gray, red, yellow, green, brown and black. Often many of these colors can be seen immediately, caused by interference and diffraction of light passing through minute, regularly arranged openings within the opal's microstructure, known as Bragg's lattice. These openings are filled with secondary silica and form thin lamellae within the opal during hardening. The term opalescence is used to describe this unique and beautiful phenomenon, although play of colors would be a better term. Opal is one of the minerals that form or can replace fossils. The resulting fossils are saved by collectors. "Opal" is derived from the Old Indian word úpala, which means gemstone. A distinction is made between the glittering precious opals, the yellow-red fire opals and the ordinary opals. Their physical properties show important differences. The opal is the official gemstone of South Australia. Opal has been worked as a gemstone since ancient times. Initially it was used for the manufacture of primitive tools, later for ornamental objects. Opal was already used by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans. Noble opal is one of the most mysterious stones. Traditionally, it was considered a bad luck stone, especially for people who did not clean it properly. The precious opal described by Pliny comes from the Dubník deposits in Slovakia, which were already being mined at that time. Magical powers were attributed to this stone. It helped against melancholy, calmed the nerves, healed the heart, protected from worry, restored vision and gave the eyes a new glow. In addition to naturally occurring opal, opal is manufactured in many different ways, experimentally and commercially. The resulting material is distinguishable from natural opal by its regularity; under magnification patches of color are seen to be arranged in a "lizard skin" or "chicken wire" pattern. Synthetic opals are further distinguished from natural opals by the lack of phosphorescence of the former under UV light. Also, synthetic opals are generally lower in density and are often highly porous; some can even stick to the tongue. Two notable producers of synthetic opal are the Kyocera and Inamori companies in Japan. Most so-called synthetic opals, however, are more correctly called imitations, as they contain substances not found in natural opals (e.g., plastic stabilizers). The Gilson opals often seen in vintage jewelery are actually imitations consisting of laminated glass with bits of foil sprinkled.

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