Fire opal: what properties does it have and where is it used?

There are a lot of varieties of opal, one of its representatives is a fiery mineraloid (Mexican opal, hummingbird stone) - a precious mineral that stands out for its inconceivable external splendor and fiery glow. It is often referred to as the sun stone. A noble mineral education is especially appreciated by specialists in the field of jewelry making and repair, jewelry connoisseurs, and collectors. Anyone who has seen such beauty with his own eyes at least once in his life will never forget how magnificent he is.

Opals are a variety of semi-precious and precious stones, divided into a number of groups. The Mexican fire opal, which will be described later, is in a special position among its many "congeners".

Formally related to the category of precious minerals, it may seem that it does not correspond to those characteristics that are typical for noble opals, and more resembles ordinary opals. The main thing is that this species is not endowed with a natural play of color. Only sometimes, somewhere very deep inside this stone, you can catch a kind of bright short bursts of color.

Nevertheless, the stunning texture of the mineral, apparently, forced the experts to forget about physical and optical standards. Many believe that this stone deserves a special place in the society of noble stones of this category for its beauty and fantastically bright colors, which are closer in most cases to the red region of the spectrum.

The weak point of this stone is that eye-catching intense color can fade over time... Moreover, fire mineraloids, like all other types of this precious mineral, are fragile, and in this regard, it is necessary to handle them carefully. It is also capable of cracking due to loss of moisture - stones contain water, the volume of liquid in the mineral is about 3%, however, sometimes this percentage reaches 25-30, therefore it is required to dip them into water from time to time.

Mineraloid fire opal is considered rare, but comes across quite often. It is equated with rare ones for the reason that only an insignificant part of the discovered opals is applicable in jewelry art. An industrial fire mineral, which has a low cost and is not used by specialists in the field of jewelry making, is found in essence in all corners of the earth: in the United States of America, Ukraine (in the Carpathians), the Russian Federation (in Transbaikalia), the Slovak Republic, Mexico, Germany , Indonesia, Honduras, Czech Republic, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Australia.

High quality stones have been found only in Mexico, Brazil, Kazakhstan, the United States of America and the Republic of Honduras. Samples of this kind are used to create jewelry.

Most of the gemstones are formed from the solidified amorphous siliceous anhydride, and one of them is fire opal. As mentioned above, the stone has a fairly high water content - from 10 to 30%. Little by little, under the influence of natural processes, the liquid from the rock partly evaporates, only a small percentage and additional impurities - iron, aluminum, magnesium and manganese - remain.

Mineraloid stands out for its curious structure. It contains many of the same size transparent balls (globules), which are ordered in a strictly geometric order. The key property of the stone is opalescence (scattering), characterized by the fiery glow of the surface of the gem that dazzles the eyes.

Hardness on the Mohs mineralogical scale varies from 6 to 6.5 units, density - 2 units, refraction - 1.45. Outwardly, the mineraloid can be absolutely transparent or semi-permeable. The stone has a luster similar to that of glass and is rather fragile. When in contact with alkaline compounds, acids, as well as with temperature drops, it rapidly collapses.

For a long time, the mineral has been practiced as a medicinal product. It was considered the best remedy for healing diseases associated with the activity of the cardiovascular system. A characteristic feature of the mineral is the ability to absorb human pathologies and diseases. Modern advocates of non-traditional medical practice of stone treatment - lithotherapists - advise using the mineral for healing:

• nervous system;
• insomnia (insomnia);
• depression;
• eye diseases;
• diseases associated with the activity of the kidneys and intestinal tract;
• intraocular pressure (IOP).

This stone is very ambivalent and to some extent dangerous, and therefore one should be very careful with it, show all respect for it. The stone, having found its owner, begins to work for it, but sometimes so dynamically that one can even speak of an excess of such devotion.

It is known that the mineral can help to maximize the manifestation of a person and his hidden talents, moreover, he does this regardless of the worldview, life and spiritual values ​​of its owner. More precisely, you can never be sure what the mineral will contribute to: the unlawful pleasures and immoral actions of a person or his self-control and non-recognition of base instincts. If the owner of the mineral is a weak-willed person, it means that he is at risk of finding himself as a toy in the hands of an unknown fate.

Another interesting property of the stone should be noted. The attitude towards it differs based on the geography of its use. So, Europeans believe that the stone personifies love, prosperity and faith. Meanwhile, the population of the Asian continent sees in it a stone of vain hopes, because of which most people waste all their physical energy and mental strength on ghostly and unrealizable fantasies.

Again, both in Europe and in Asian countries, this mineral was rarely used when performing magical rites. Well, except that the sorcerers in India, by changing the color of the stone, are able to predict the impending probable danger. As a rule, such minerals are regarded as gems that protect their own owner from a dangerous element or give him the ability to clairvoyance. But it is not excluded that the owner of the mineral can also acquire "gifts" of a slightly different kind: a feeling of anxiety for no apparent reason, fear of darkness.

Based on the totality of shades and colors, several varieties of minerals can be distinguished:

• Mexican;
• White;
• blue;
• honeysuckle.

Fire opals from Mexico are considered the most sought after. They stand out for a clean and rich orange color with an intense red tone that shimmers in various shades. As a result, Mexican minerals are considered the most expensive. Fire opal can be yellow and brown, but the value of these stones is much less.

Rare varieties of fire opal:

• contra luze - characterized by a uniform play of colors over the entire area of ​​the mineral;
• pinfire or flashing - has overflows of several colors at the same time;
• fire opal - has the highest purity and inimitable color: red or bright orange;
• dzhirazol (girazol or "sun stone") - transparent, almost colorless opal, with a wavy bluish tint.

Inexpensive and unsightly samples are used as a material for creating dishes, signet rings, figurines.

The stone is used extensively in the chemical industry, for example for making dynamite. Opal-containing rocks are tripoli, chalk limestone and diatomaceous earth. raw material for fillers, cement and other building materials, for example, as a raw material for ceramics and light bricks. Due to its characteristics it is practiced in the construction of objects in conditions of high humidity, in particular, bridge piers. Finishing of offices with opal tiles is also in demand.

Precious specimens turn into jewelry as a result of thorough processing. In order to better express the play of the color of fiery stones, they are given an oblong-round or spherical cabochon shape, or other smoothly convex outlines based on how much the raw material allows.

When creating mass-produced products, doublet-opals are often used - polished plates of stone glued to black glass, obsidian, onyx or ordinary opal. Due to the low strength of opal, jewelers make frames that protect them when making jewelry.

Fire opal is a mineral with a rather violent and indomitable energy, so it is not suitable for everyone. It is much easier, of course, to achieve harmony with him when the owner is related to one of the signs of the element of Fire. For example, Aries, due to the influence of the stone, will become more active, more successful and at the same time more balanced. It will become easier for him to implement the most reckless personal plans.

Sagittarius, the miraculous qualities of the mineral will make it possible to protect themselves from unexpected turns in life, not always pleasant, and black magic. It will be easier for Leo to expand the circle of interests, find out more about their own person and the surrounding society.

With regard to the remaining six representatives of the zodiacal circle, we can say the following: they have the opportunity to receive the favor of the stone. Probably, it will be more difficult to establish harmony with it than for the signs of the elements of Fire, but the miraculous and healing characteristics of opal are worth it.

For information on how red opal is mined, see the next video.