Trends in body jewelry change with seasons and holidays, but one remains firm through it all : Opal. The opal obsession for body jewelry continue on, season after season. We’ve seen it on celebrities, Instagrammers, and fashion staples on the runway and most likely, you’ve seen some local fashionistas donning opal jewelry.
In this article, we’ll explore the opal obsession from head to toe and high and low. What exactly is opal and what, if any is there significance in history, fashion and more? Does it have natural and chemical properties and what gives it the milky, rainbow colors? Read on to find out then check our Idea Book below to indulge your opal obsession.
Opal Overview
Opal, which is October’s birthstone, has been around practically forever. The stone appears milky with a kaleidoscope of color embedded into it. The milky base that holds the sparkle can come in multitudes of varieties, the most common base colors being white, deep blues, greens, and even black. There are varieties almost infinite in colors than can appear on the surface depending on the angle you view it. Opal can be synthesized or be in the raw rock formation or presented as a crystal gem stone.
Most varieties are tumbled, meaning that the surfaces have been smoothed since the raw form of opal is in rock formation. Opal gemstones have been used for centuries for jewelry and recently made it’s way over to body jewelry. They are stunning for this purpose because of their translucency and color variations. It’s kind of like wearing a rainbow.
Operation Opal
Opal is, indeed, a stone made up of mostly of silica. One of the really cool traits about this mineralized gemstone is that it loves water. In fact, it contains a small amount of water in its structure and even prefers to be in humid climates or worn often, as the human body is mostly made of water. Keeping your opal jewelry happy and looking beautiful is a matter of keeping the little stone hydrated, as funny as it sounds. Do not let this stone dry out in the sun as it can actually crack or change colors if all of the water in it’s mineral makeup is lost.
Opal Origins
Australia boasts most of the world’s opal production but opal can and is synthesized and produced just about everywhere gemstones are handled. It is popular stone and rightfully so. The origins and folklore behind opal leads back through centuries through numerous cultures, including the Romans, Bedouins, and most recently, it was found on Mars via NASA intelligence.
Opal has emotional and metaphysical properties, long believed by energy healers, shamans and indigenous tribes. Opal is known as the stone to invoke light, attract love, and even cure depression and protection from nightmares. Opal is also associated to invoking hidden emotions and helping to express them for the wearer.
Obviously Opal
Opal is obviously interesting to just about everyone’s eyes with it’s dancing colors and mystery. It is no wonder that opal made its way to the body jewelry industry. Certain colors and types of opal may be synthesized for placement on body jewelry since the natural stone requires humidity and moisture to retain its lustre and integrity. Sun, salt, acid, and wear tend to present problems for certain opals used in jewelry, so synthetic opal may be used for daily wear body jewelry. Other natural opals that are a bit more resilient can be used in its authentic form.
We love the opal obsession going on- it’s such a beautiful, colorful expression that is versatile and offers a splash of color and mystery all while providing body jewelry designers a way to add natural elements to a once industrial only market. Indulge your opal obsession with our Idea Book to add a mystical flair to your body jewelry collection.
Opal Obsessed Idea Book