Opal Anniversary Gemstone

The opal anniversary gemstone represents both the 12th and 14th wedding anniversary.

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Opal Jewelry

Opal Anniversary Gemstone Vases

Wine

Buy a bottle of Opal Ridge Semillon Chardonnay so that the couple can celebrate their anniversary in style. Include a couple of crystal glasses to finish off the gift.

Opal Information

Opals are hydrated silicon dioxide, and come in varied colors showing beautiful opalescence. The water content may be as high as 20% but is usually between 3% and 10%. The opal is often regarded as a form of solidified jelly. Opals range from colorless, through white, milky blue, gray, red, yellow, green, brown and black. The word opal means 'precious stone'. Opals are often quite difficult to polish to a reasonable luster, given their texture.

Opals are one of the mineraloids that can form or replace fossils. These fossils appeal to collectors and are often made into pieces of jewelry.

Around 95% of the world's opal comes from Australia. The town of Coober Pedy in South Australia is a major source. Common, water, jelly, and the beautiful fire opal are found mostly in Mexico and Mesoamerica. Lightning Ridge, another Australian town, in New South Wales, is the main source of black opal, an opal that has a predominantly dark background.

The Romans used opals but these possibly came form Czechoslovakia where it occurs in the crevices of andesite (a fine grained rock free from quartz) near hot springs.

The state gem stone for Nevada is the precious black opal, which is found in Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada.

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