7 Harrison Avenue
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
973-292-0950
Gem Profile
13:
Fire Opal
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Few
Americans are ready for the sight of opal in profusion during their stays south
of the boarder. That’s
understandable since the gem is associated with Australia.
Nevertheless, while no rival to the Aussie production, Mexico
has come into its own as an opal source.
At their best, Mexican fire opals possess either flaming orange or cherry-red body color that is uniform and solid—as opposed to the iridescent streaks, patches of flecks of color in fine Australian opal. If roughs are transparent or sufficiently translucent, they will be faceted rather than cut into cabochons. But when it comes to deep body-color opals, whether cabbed or faceted, they have no choice.
Mexican stones are the only game in town. At present, it’s game with relatively few stateside players. And if the dollar weakens significantly again, the number of players will only decrease.
Like all opals there is a very high tendency for the stone to crack over time. Fire opal specialists do not deny that crazing may be a problem with them. Other stones are more likely to crack than others, so stones are placed through heat test before they can be sold. During this exam they place to opal under 80 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 days, if problems develop during that time span the stone is rejected. It was also noted that 10% of stones that make it through the heat test are than cracked during the cutting down process.
As for the stones, which make it unscathed through cutting, there may be one or two which crack later. Because fire opal like all opal is somewhat high strung, it is best to consider it a fragile stone, far more appropriate for used in pendants or earrings. This is not to avoid rings completely although many jewelers will have an ethical obligation to advise the customer about the risks of putting the stone through typical everyday wear.