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You might have heard of natural
opal, opal doublets, synthetic opal an even imitation opal
gemstones but, when names like solid opal can confuse even
very enthusiastic gem lovers. In this report on opal
gemstones, we talk about solid opal, what exactly is the
meaning of solid opal. Equally important is to understand, the
opal varieties that cannot or should not be referred to as
solid opal gems.
Opal gems are classified as solid
and not solid, based on their configuration. None of the opal
varieties are available in liquid form so lay that doubt to
rest. Opal is a natural gemstone and generally forms on other
rocks, the term boulder rock is sometimes used to describe the
host rock on which opal 'grows'. The miner who digs for the
opal rough in the mining pits, tries his best to separate the
rock from the opal. But even with that earnest effort, it is
common for rough opal pieces to have some rock clinging to
them. The gem cutter, who takes these pieces of rough opal
gems and shapes and polishes them has a more critical task.
The cutter is expected to strip off any rock that might still
be stuck to the opal. So what the cutter finally hopes to get
is a piece of cut and polished opal that is fully opal. Such
an opal gemstone would be referred to as a solid opal gem.
In some cases, the opal formation
on the parent rock might be quite thin. Stripping the opal
from the rock would not give much of an opal gemstone yield.
In such a case, the cutter might be instructed to cut the opal
along with a (natural) backing of the boulder rock. It is
common to see such opal gems being sold at attractive prices.
Such an opal gem would not classify as a solid opal gem mainly
because, the stone is not all opal - you also have some rock
material on the opal.
Opal doublets are triplets are an
interesting category of opal gems. In the case of opal
doublet, a piece of cut and polished opal is mounted on a dark
backing material. This material which can also be called the
backing material, is generally a piece of black onyx or piece
of boulder rock. The fact that an opal doublet combines, a
material beyond just opal - this is another case where the
name solid opal should not be used. Just for your information,
the dark backing material attached to the base of the opal gem
enhances the appearance of the color flashes and play in the
opal. You could also say that, the combining of the opal and
backing material adds durability to the gemstone.
An opal triplet gemstone is another
type of assembled opal, this surely means that it would not be
included in the category of solid opals. In the case of an
opal triplet gemstone, a think slice of opal gem is bound
between a top transparent layer and a dark bottom layer. The
resulting gem is known as an opal triplet gemstone, and since
it is not entirely composed of opal - you would not call it a
solid opal gem. The opal triplet option, provides opal lovers
with an attractive natural opal gemstone. The gem would be
priced much lower than, a solid opal gem that had the same
appearance and beauty as an opal triplet gemstone.
There is another naturally formed
opal that is not clubbed into the category of solid opal
gemstones. Unlike opal doublets or opal triplet gems, this
opal is formed naturally. A large piece of host rock often
has, small portions of opal. The pieces of opal seem to add a
playful glitter to an otherwise, ordinary piece of rock. In
most cases, the volume of opal as compared to the volume of
the rock would be quite small. The opal is spread all
over the stone rather than being, concentrated within a small
portion of the rock. The gem cutter in this case, cuts the
entire piece into smaller pieces and shapes and polishes each
of the small pieces. As you might have guessed, each of those
small pieces has some amount of opal and a significant portion
of rock. Since the final piece of 'opal' would contain the
host rock along with the opal, you would not refer to the
stone as a solid opal.
We do hope that the term solid opal
is now well understood by gem lovers who have read this
report. While some gem buyers might swear that, solid opal
gems are better than opals that are not solid - others might
insist that opal doublets, and opal triplets provide a higher
degree of durability. Before you make a purchase of opal gems
or jewelry, read this report, understand the content and then
make up your mind. Should you still have any doubts or
queries, send an email to our experts at sales@kaisilver.com The
team is trained and encouraged to do more than just sell. The
primary objective is to inform and educate gem buyers and
lovers. Having done that, the buyer is allowed to make a well
informed and peaceful buying decision.
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