Jewelry is more than just an accessory—it's a way to express yourself. Between making daring fashion choices and selecting rare gemstones that bring out the color in your eyes, every bracelet, ring, and necklace is a way to show off your style. If you have a shining personality, you deserve jewelry to match—we recommend opals.
Opals are one of the world's most exquisite and colorful precious gemstones. With their shining rainbow appearance, they give off a sophisticated, almost magical glow. Whether looking for the best methods to care for heirloom opal pieces or finding inspiration to style a new pair of opal earrings, learn all there is to know about timeless opal jewelry in our all-encompassing guide.
What is an Opal?
Opal is considered a precious crystalline gem. Whether they're naturally occurring or synthetically grown, they remain one of the most popular choices for high-end jewelry. Opals have often been referred to as the "Queen of Gems"—and you can see why! With a glimmering appearance, wide variety in color variations, and overall astounding beauty, it's no wonder opals are so celebrated.
How Are Opals Formed?
Opal stones have a natural and complex formation process that starts with the fusion of silicon dioxide and water. As water runs through the earth and infiltrates sandstone, it picks up silica particles. These are then deposited into cracks and voids within sedimentary areas. When that silica-rich water evaporates, it leaves behind a deposit. After this cycle repeats itself over a long period of time, a beautiful opal is left behind!
Define Potch Opals
Not all mined gems can be winners worthy of jewelry design. A large portion of the opals found in deposited areas are considered common, or "potch." These gems do not have that signature play-of-color opals are known for, as the silica spheres were arranged in a disorderly and undesirable way. These are less valuable and often discarded when it comes to designing light and dark opal jewelry.
Where Are Opals Found?
Natural opal stones are found in sedimentary or volcanic environments around the globe. Australia produces 95% of the world's opals in towns like Lightning Ridge, claiming it as their official national gemstone. But these precious gems are also mined in other countries, such as:
- Ethiopia
- Brazil
- Mexico
- United States
- Honduras
What Causes Opalescence?
The look of an opal stone is so adored that there's a word for it—opalescence. But how is that scintillating, iridescent rainbow formed?
Think of the opal stone as a prism. The background color, also known as the body color, is created through a suspension of impurities within the silica sphere. When light waves are reflected within the stone, they bounce off, leaving a bright assortment of colorful reflections.
This diffraction phenomenon is known as the play of color and can vary from stone to stone. With different body colors and amounts of light waves in each opal, there are endless, unique ways that a stone can give off classic opalescence.
What Causes Opals to Have Different Body Coloring?
Opal hues can range across a rainbow spectrum, with each body color determined by the size, shape, and arrangement of the internal silica spheres. Smaller spheres are known to produce cooler body tones, such as blue, green, and purple, whereas larger spheres produce warmer hues, such as red, orange, and yellow. The presence of trace elements, such as copper or iron, as well as random impurities trapped inside the spheres, can also affect the quality and vibrancy of the body color.
The 4 Play-of-Color Patterns in Opals
The patterns seen in the opalescence are often used to value a stone before featuring it in a design. These play-of-color patterns can take many forms, including:
- Pinfire: also known as pinpoint, can be described as small, closely set patches
- Harlequin: sometimes called mosaic: these are angular, broad, closely set patches
- Flame: sweeping bands or streaks that emerge across the stone
- Peacock: mainly blue and green patterns
Symbolism of the Opal Stone Around the World
Having been around for thousands of years, it's no wonder why the opal has countless symbolisms and myths attached to it. From the Middle Ages, where spiritual people believed the stones brought good luck and used them to create talismans and amulets, to the Arabic folklore that claims opals fell from the sky in lightning bolts and more, each culture has its own traditions and beliefs about these glittering beauties.
In Ancient Greece, it was said opals were produced by Zeus's tears after defeating the Titans. Romans associated them with Venus and Cupid and used them to symbolize rekindled love and passion. Aboriginal Australians claimed they hold powerful energies.
Modern Opal Stone Meanings
Nowadays, there are plenty of modern symbolisms and healing properties assigned to the opal. Most spiritualists claim that wearing opals brings purity, truth, hope, good fortune, and confidence to the wearer. If you believe in the powers of healing crystals, investing in stylish fire opal jewelry could very well transform your life.
What is the Opal Birthstone Month?
If you know someone born in October, they're lucky enough to have the opal as a birthstone! Wearing your birthstone is a lovely way to feel connected to yourself and bring good luck into your life. Whether you prefer the look of an elegant pair of opal earrings or love layering black opal jewelry, donning your birthstone can add significant meaning and style to your look.
What Makes an Opal Valuable?
An opal value is determined by a few key factors—all of which can add to the end result price of a piece of jewelry. Play of color, body tone, size, brilliance, faults, and cut (similar to diamond cuts) are all considered during a professional's evaluation. As they are examined, a price is given "per carat," which then adds up to the final price.
Why Opals Are a Jeweler's Dream
With a different array of vibrant rainbow colors in each cut, opal stones are unique—which means every jewelry piece will be, too. Many designers feel inspired by the iridescent nature of opals and enjoy creating one-of-a-kind jewelry for their collections.
Fine jewelry designers, including our in-house label, Sabel, work with these precious gemstones to create unforgettable, sophisticated pieces that anyone can wear. Whether you're looking for a more casual opal jewelry set or a glittering special-occasion necklace, you can find opal jewelry in any style.
Opals are also a notoriously impressive gemstone to work with, and only jewelers with a certain level of skill can create opal jewelry. The soft surface is prone to scratching and chipping, and any designer handling an opal stone needs to have a gentle touch and attention to detail. Often, luxury opal bracelets, rings, and necklaces will be designed with an extra protective setting of harder gemstones or metals to keep the stone safe during wear.
Shop A Wide Range of Opal Jewelry
One thing is certain—opal jewelry never goes out of style! These customer-favorite gems can be found in a wide variety of unique and timeless designs, from opal rings to fire opal sets and more. Explore our stylish options and find your next favorite accessory in these top four categories:
Discover a Set of Opal Earrings
Earrings are one of the top searched-for types of opal jewelry—and with good reason! Thanks to their renowned flashes of iridescent color, every hair toss and head turn will have all eyes on you. Browse a wide selection of opal earring designs, from studs, dangles, drops, and more.
Find One-of-a-Kind Opal Rings
Opal rings bring an eye-catching look to your hand, whether worn alone or in a mix-and-match set. As you browse for opal rings, you'll find that they're often paired with diamonds to create a visually striking look, resulting in breathtakingly beautiful designs sure to draw attention with every wear. Find opal rings in all shapes and sizes, from opal and diamond halo rings to cluster accent rings and everything in between.
Sport an Opal Bracelet
Opals bring a contemporary yet timeless style to bracelet designs. While diamond tennis bracelets will never go out of style, there's something wonderfully magical about seeing an opalescent gemstone in a bracelet or bangle. From rose gold pink opal bracelets to opal beaded designs, there's something for everyone.
Accessorize with an Opal Necklace
When it comes to buying a stylish pendant, opals have every other gemstone beat. The shimmering surface and rainbow of color options ensure there's a piece suited for any style. Shop around for oval opal and diamond halo pendants, multi-stone designs, and more to find your perfect fit.
The Most Popular Opal Types Used in Jewelry
There are two main categories of opal: precious and common. Precious opal stones have a brilliant play of color, while common opals do not, but make no mistake—both are used when designing opal jewelry. As you shop, you'll see these opal types, graded on a body tone chart ranging from N1 to N9, available in jewelry designs:
Classic White Opals
White is the most common opal color at an N7-N9 body tone—but that doesn't make it any less valuable! Though these semi-opaque or translucent gems are sometimes called "light" opals, there is a distinct difference. White opals are known for their light, milky body hue, which ranges from white to pale gray, while light opals can be found in colorless to light gray.
Gray or Dark Opals
Dark or gray opals are somewhere between common white and rarer black gems, scoring an N5-N6 body tone rating. These are sometimes called "semi-black opals" and have a medium-gray body tone that isn't quite dark enough to qualify as the sought-after black opals. While they're less common than their brilliant, whiter counterparts, they're well-loved for their bright play of color.
Rare Black Opals
Black opals are considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world, ranging from deep body tones between N1-N4. These can be transparent or opaque and are defined by a dark gray to completely black hue. Almost all black opals are found in the Lightning Ridge area of Australia.
Brilliant Fire Opals
If you find yourself drawn to the flame, fire opal jewelry is for you. These are most often seen in a mix of red, orange, yellow, and brown body colors and are notably translucent to transparent rather than traditional opaque. Even cooler still, these popular opals are formed inside volcanoes!
Unique Hyalite Opals
Combination Boulder Opals
Boulder opals stand out from the rest. These gemstones are created when an opal deposit forms in a host rock, such as ironstone, sandstone, or fossilized wood. The iridescent gem forms in patches or small strands around the rock, resulting in a unique pattern in each cut.
Alternative Synthetic Opals
Synthetic, simulation, and imitation are all words used in the jewelry business to describe man-made opals. The exact chemical makeup depends on the maker, but these can range from having the exact same chemical composition as the natural gems to only sharing a similar appearance. Most synthetic opals are black or white, though there are some varieties emerging as the science develops.
Keep a Look Out for More Opal Colors
When it comes to opal jewelry, the color variety is endless! Search for these vibrant beauties in your favorite designs as you shop:
- Pink
- Morado purple
- Blue
- Green
- Colorless
- Matrix
- Dendritic
What Are Doublet and Triplet Opals?
As you browse for the perfect opal pieces, you may see the terms "doublet" and "triplet" thrown into descriptions. Designed to improve the gem's strength and appearance by adding layers, remember that a doublet is actually a thin layer of opal glued on top of a black base and a triplet adds a third, transparent cap layer. These are mainly used to mimic top-shelf opals and can result in a budget-friendly option.
Using Synthetic Opals in Jewelry
Creating lab-formed opals is a sustainable way for companies to create elegant jewelry without mining. Believe it or not, it's a very similar process to how natural opal stones are formed.
A high water-silica solution is poured into a container to form a gel. Then, color pigments and metal salts are added to hand-curate the colors and light waves opals are known for. The gel is then aged and left to solidify and dry out. Once cut and polished, it looks similar to the colorful brilliance of naturally formed opals, making them a popular choice for many jewelry designers and wearers.
How Are Opals Judged for Jewelry?
The quality of an opal is judged using three main aspects: color, pattern, and clarity. When choosing a cut for opal jewelry, jewelers place the gemstone under controlled lighting with a dark background to help them evaluate the opal. The shape, range of colors, and level of transparency in a cut of opal stone can all affect both the value and the way a jeweler will style it.
The Opal Grading Scale for Jewelers
As you shop for opal jewelry, it's important to look at the gradings for each stone. Opal stones are often assigned one of the following grades:
- Heirloom (AAAA): milky hue, intense play-of-color, surface clean, no visible inclusions, opaque—the top 1% of opals
- Best (AAA): medium play-of-color, milky hue, few surface flaws, opaque—top 10% of opals
- Better (AA): milky, opaque, low play-of-color, few or slight surface flaws—33% of opals
- Good (A): milky, no play-of-color, opaque, visible surface blemishes—75% of opals
How to Spot a Fake Opal
Every opal piece of jewelry in a trustworthy designer store will carry only authentic opals, but if you're ever curious about a family heirloom piece or stumble across one in a secondhand store, learning how to spot a fake is a handy skill to have. Imitation opals will often have a completely uniform appearance, an overly shiny appearance, and a flat or smooth back to the stone. When compared to real things, which always carry irregularities and dynamic play of color, it's easy to find fraud!
Who Can Wear Opal Jewelry?
While people once believed opal stones were fit only for royalty, anyone can style opal jewelry nowadays! Whether you don a stylish cross necklace with opal detailing or reserve one opal bracelet for special events, opal jewelry can be worn by anyone on any occasion. Elizabeth Taylor was famously known for opal pieces in her jewelry collection—and who wouldn't want to take a piece of style advice from her?
5 Ways to Style Opal Jewelry
Whether you wear a staple piece every day or a matching set on special occasions, there are endless ways to style opal jewelry. Complement your outfits, lifestyle, and coloring with unique, shining opal stones using these five tips:
1. Choose Everyday Staple Opal Jewelry
If you're an avid lover of the opal stone, choose an opal piece as your everyday staple jewelry. Between dainty opal earrings or pink opal flower necklaces, this glimmering gemstone gives you a subdued but graceful look. Choose an opal piece to bring your outfit together every morning so you can rock your day with confidence and style.
Pro tip: make sure to find an opal that complements your skin tone and coloring. Rich and deep black or fire opal stones stand out if you're on the fairer side. If you have a darker skin tone, something like a white or crystal opal is a stunning option. Certain opal stones can bring out the colorful accents in your eyes, so try a few on and see which ones make you pop!
2. Wear Casual, Simple Opal Jewelry
Opals are the perfect blend of elegant and casual, making them a perfect option for work attire. Pull out your favorite rose gold opal earrings to pair with a button-down or cashmere sweater and instantly elevate your look. You'll bring your personal style to the office and walk into your business meeting confidently in your favorite opal bracelet.
3. Layer Opal Jewelry
Include your favorite opal necklace in a layered stack with your other go-to chains as a sparkly accent. Start by clasping on the shortest chain and then add each layer to create a complex and stylish look.
To bring attention to a rose gold pear opal pendant, ensure it's in the center of the layers. The layered necklace look is on trend, and whether you're dressing for a girl's night out or an elegant gala, opal stones are a way to make it your own.
4. Make a Statement with Opal Jewelry
Statement jewelry tends to be oversized and colorful, so the opal stone is the perfect choice! Find over-the-top opal necklaces or long, dangle opal earrings and pair them with a subdued, classic look for the perfect pop. Often, people will wear a large, colorful opal ring to draw attention to their hands with that rainbow shine. The options for statement opals are endless, so find one that works with your wardrobe.
5. Wear Opal Jewelry for Formal Occasions
Formal gatherings, such as weddings, black-tie galas, and intimate date nights, are the perfect time to showcase your favorite opal stone pieces. A diamond and opal necklace is a stunning way to accessorize if you're wearing an elegant dress. You can wear a matching set with opal earrings, rings, and bracelets to tie the look together.
Top Questions for Styling and Owning Opal Jewelry
Styling your designer opal jewelry isn't as daunting as it may seem. Whether you've invested in a matching fire opal jewelry set or are gifting a new graduate a statement opal necklace, consult our answers to the top questions to style your way to the top:
Do Opals Pair Better with Silver or Gold?
Trick question! Opals pair perfectly with both silver and gold (as well as rose gold, as seen in our pink opal flower bracelet).
Yellow gold can help enhance the play of color in warmer-toned opals, while white gold can bring out the stark iridescence in darker black or boulder opals. Silver is perfect for adding a contemporary vibe to any opal gem, adding a luxurious shine to any design. You could even mix metals if you're feeling up to it!
Do Opals Make Good Engagement Rings?
While diamonds are the traditional gemstone choice for engagement rings, some people prefer modern gemstone engagement rings. With the ethereal and iridescent coloring on an opal, visually, they make a stunning ring for her left hand. But, since opals are soft and delicate, only ranking in at 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, they may require more upkeep and care.
Don't let that scare you. When you keep an eye on your ring and refrain from exposing it to any risky elements, you can enjoy an opal ring on your wedding finger for a lifetime.
A Few Popular Opal Options for Engagement Rings
Explore some of our favorite opal rings to see if they're the perfect fit for your proposal or when choosing a companion when shopping for a women's wedding band:
- Halo ring with a white oval opal and diamonds
- Oval opal ring with diamond clusters
- Cushion set fire opal ring
Can You Wear Opal Jewelry in the Shower?
No—you should always remove your opal rings, earrings, and pink opal amulet pendants before hopping into the shower. This includes any activity where you may get your accessories wet, including exercising and swimming. If your opal designs are exposed to rapid temperature changes, shower product chemicals, or water, they could crack or tarnish.
How Long Does Opal Jewelry Last?
With proper care, cleaning routines, and wear, your opal designs should last you a lifetime. If any damage does occur, don't give up hope and toss it to the side. Bring it to a trustworthy jewelry repair service to see what can be done.
What's the Right Way to Clean Opal Jewelry?
If you want your opal stones to last you a lifetime, learning the best practices for keeping them clean is important. Every month, you should wet a soft cloth with warm water to gently rub away any dirt and oil that may have built up on the stone. Then, polish it with a different soft cloth or toothbrush to shine the finish. Let your pink opal flower earrings dry in a safe place, and then you can wear them once more.
How Should You Store Opal Jewelry?
Refrain from wearing your jewelry while sleeping, and always put it in a jewelry box or holder to avoid any potential damage to the opal stone. If you want to store opal jewelry long term, each piece must be wrapped in a slightly moistened, protective soft cloth before being tucked away. Because of the high water content of the stone, it needs moisture while in storage to keep its color and shine. If there are ever any issues, find quality jewelry repair stores near you to see what can be fixed!
5 Tips for Keeping Opal Jewelry Safe:
Tip #1: Avoid soaking in water, as opals are porous and can absorb liquid easily!
Tip #2: Stay away from harsh chemicals and cleaning supplies when wearing your designs.
Tip #3: Never expose your opal to extreme temperature changes, like when washing your hands or doing laundry.
Tip #4: Take off your opal jewelry while sleeping to avoid general surface damage.
Tip #5: For long-term storage, wrap your opal in cotton wool with a few drops of water and seal it in a plastic bag to keep the timeless shine intact.
How to Gift Opal Jewelry
If you're considering buying someone jewelry as a gift, look at elegant and striking opal designs. The stone has been known to be associated with passion and love, making it a beautiful gift for any loved one. Shop our wide selection of opal jewelry to find a stunning push present for a new mom, a beautiful opal ring to pair with women's wedding bands, or a stylish bracelet as a treat for yourself.
The most important factor to consider when gifting opals is what color the recipient will prefer. Does their vibe match the timeless sheen of white opals? Are they a bit moodier and more prone to dark gray or black gems? Does their fiery spirit deserve a vibrant fire opal? Once you've determined that, you can shop around for different aesthetics and styles to find a piece they'll wear for years to come.
Opal Anniversary Gift Year
Did you know every wedding anniversary is traditionally celebrated with a new material? Paper is the first year, cotton is the second, and so on—all the way to year 14, where, you guessed it, it's opals! Make sure to celebrate over a decade of marriage with the love of your life with the enchanting look of opal jewelry.
Custom Design You Dream Opal Jewelry with Fink’s
If you have your own visions for your unique opal jewelry, you're in luck! Our custom design services help make your dream designs come true. Whether you want to revamp an old piece passed down in your family or just haven't found quite what you're looking for in the designer options, we are ready to help you bring your ideas to life! Just find your nearest Fink's location and meet with our trusted team of experts today.
Glittering, vibrant, and otherworldly, opals have been a popular jewelry gemstone for centuries. Whether you're searching for a necklace that will never go out of style or modern statement earrings to show off your personality, there's a design for you. Find the perfect fit and enjoy timeless and stylish opal jewelry of your very own.
