Put some sparkle in to your life when celebrating that special occasion, or even just for your own joy with Australian Opal.
Comprising of hydrated silica (Australian opal contains up to a 3% moisture content), its main trademark is their spectacular flashes of colour, sometimes known as ‘fire’. Australian Opal is widely utilised in engagement rings, dress jewellery, and outstanding pendants.
Opal is able to show off a wide-range of colour through the diffraction of white light in to the colour spectrum (making it a naturally-formed prism). The most valuable colour in Black (the rarest of Australian Opal), Boulder and Crystal Opal are the red hues, though blue and green colours are considered to be the most popular.
If you have had questions about how to wear an Opal (and Australian Opal’s features), this post will help to clear all your doubts about Australia’s National gem.
What is Opal, and how is it made?
Australian Opal is well known to be one of the most beautiful gems in the world. But have you ever wondered how this stunning gemstone came in to existence? There are two main ways Opal is formed. Australian Opal is formed via sedimentary process, with silica (left behind by the ancient Eromanga Sea) combining with water and forming in to a gel, which percolated through the cracks and crevices in the landscape, settling between 5 and 60 feet below the surface, and hardening over thousands of years.
Very little heat or pressure is used in the formation of precious Australian Opal. The second-considered main way Opal is formed is through volcanic activity, with Opal forming in the depths of ancient volcanos when water seeps into silica-rich lava, filling its seams and hollows. Because of its rarity and preciousness, Opal is referred to as ‘The Queen of Gems’.
How to wear Opal pendants?
If you do not have an Australian Opal in your jewellery collection, you really are missing out on one of the most amazing gemstones ever witnessed. Adorn an array of colours, and make a fashion statement with this most incredible gemstone.
We have noticed a swing in popularity towards Opal Pendants of late. Glam it up, or dress it down; any which way, Australian Opal will work with any outfit. Make a White Opal pop in Yellow or Rose Gold, combined with a darker outfit. If you have a mid-to-dark complexion, use a Crystal Opal, with its translucent nature adopting to your skin tone and truly standing out.
Complement your blue or green attire with the more unusual Boulder Opal (known for showing the green and blue hues the best). Or make a fiery Black Opal sparkle when combined with a whiter outfit.
Why Opal pendants?
If you are one to prefer a unique look, then Australian Opal is definitely a way to express your taste – as we say here, ‘As Unique As You Are’. An Opal pendant truly is a way to display this, particularly choosing a freeform cut, which lends to a more unusual look for the complementing pendant.
Give it an extra ‘kick’ by adding some other gems into the mix. We generally use diamonds for a little more sparkle, but sapphires and emeralds (or green garnets) can make for interesting highlights in opal jewellery as well. Opal pendants with modern flare can be a great way to express your love for someone unique as well, with opal radiating a colour and cheer, to match one’s disposition.
Why is Black Opal trending?
Being the most valuable and rarest of the Australian opals (making up for only 1% of Australia’s opal stocks), Black Opal’s appeal comes down to how intensely it shows off the colours, with its natural dark body tone helping to push out a more vivid display of ‘fire’.
Designs and features of Opal Pendants
Utilising Australian Opal’s unique appeal and variety of shapes, colours and patterns, you can have a pendant crafted to perfectly reflect these features. It’s something that has been done through the ages. They were used by the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians as far back as 2000 BC, with hieroglyphics on the wall of the tomb of King Tutankhamen having shown the fascination and use of opal. Native American culture has revered opals for their own beliefs, and Indigenous Australians have their own Dreamtime law of how the opal formed, and its importance.
If these cultures fell in love with Opal, and utilised the gem in their own adornments, then you can too. Each Opal pendant will be a one-of-a-kind piece, with each opal being completely unique, and therefore each complementing pendant will be too. If you are born in October, making your birthstone Opal, why not show this off every day? It is a symbol of hope and inspiration.
Get a beautiful Opal Pendant from the experts and Opals Down Under!
A little confused as to what Opal Pendant will suit you? Why not ask us?
Opals Down Under is the best place to start looking for your next (or first) Opal Pendant (or ring and earrings). We have a large collection of an assortment of Australian Opals and Opal Jewellery both online and in our showroom (located on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland), and with well-known fantastic customer service, we can help find the right piece for you. We specialise in all types of Australian Opal, including White Opal, Crystal Opal, Queensland Boulder Opal, and the world-famous Black Opal.. All our products are backed with care and excellent service to ensure your purchase is a great experience.
Contact us today to see what would suit you best!
