Crystal Opal (multi-color)

Item Description

Opal is one of the great "old world" gems, the birthstone for October, and one of the most diverse gems out there as it's one of the few natural multi-color stones in the world. Opal is amazingly diverse as it can be found in virtually water-clear stones and completely opaque material, but they all can be equally colorful and captivating. This is a beautiful solid (not a doublet or a triplet) Opal from Australia with a "Marquise Cabochon" cut. The stone is actually translucent when backlit (showing a golden-orange hue), but when it's viewed in reflected light, it shows bright flashes of yellow, blue and green color on the surface. Opals have been documented for thousands of years, as the Romans saw the gem as a symbol of love and hope, and the ancient Greeks believed that Opal gems would grant powers of prophecy and even protect their owners from disease. Today, Australian Opals are the standard bearer, as the finest examples of Black Opal, and other varieties have been mined in Australia for generations.