Earstuds – Oval – Welo Opal

Opal is a very diverse quartz variety. There are a lot of Opal types. There is Opal with and without play of colour, gem Opal and common Opal. Both can be divided into a lot of different subgroups. The origin of a lot of gem Opal is Australia or Ethiopia and these are often cut into gemstones. The play of colour in Opals is called opalescence and is caused by the refraction of light inside the stone. Opal gets its name from the word ‘upala’ which means gemstone in Sanskrit. Sometimes fossils opalise instead of fossilize. Instead of regular stone, opal replaces the molecules of the organism, often a shellfish like a belemnite. This process is very rare.