OPAL
ALL ABOUT OPAL + HOW IT FORMS
​Opal form all over the world in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Canada, Slovakia, Iceland, USA and many more places. Opal form from a Silicon Dioxide rich water solution, as this liquid travels through the Earth within cracks in Fault Lines it evaporates leaving behind a deposit of silica - as this process cycles over centuries Opal is eventually formed. The varying types of Opal we know or that you may have seen come out of different Continents relies on a number of factors to form: particularly Climate as Opal is dependent on it’s liquid solution to rise through openings within the Earth yet it still requires time to dry and harden.
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Environments that provide alternating wet and dry periods create a rising and falling underground water basin that allows this silica concentration to form. The silica itself comes from within the Earth, Volcanic material and the Natural Erosion of Kaolin Clay and Sandstone that collects and moves underneath us every day due to the forever shifting Tectonic Plates.​
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AUSTRALIAN OPAL, POLISHED CABOCHONS.
When conditions are ideal larger veins and spheres of Silica settle in voids and cracks under the Earth causing a large Opal Deposit. These Opal Deposits can be known as “Opal Feilds” and can contain many different fossils, nodules, boulders and sedimentary rock opalising with secondary minerals. The majority of what is found within these Opal Fields is not essentially gem quality or precious, it is commonly called “Potch” as it doesn’t display colour. There are also more interesting and rare formations that fill spaces between rocks like Boulder Opal, and other types that mix with sand and form a unique deposit known as “Matrix”​
LIGHTNING RIDGE OPAL, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Opal is a Hydrous Silicon Dioxide with a Chemical Composition of SiOâ‚‚·nHâ‚‚O. It is an Amorphous Mineraloid, which means it lacks a proper atomic crystalline structure and as a variable chemical composition. This is why many types of organic material can opalise, including wood, bones, plants and other organisms.
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Sheik Stones offers an incredible range of Natural Australian Opals. All of these beautiful, reflective Opals have been sourced and uncovered over the lifetime of a talented lapidary. A lapidary is an artist who works with stone, gemstones and various minerals to create items such as Cabochons, Sliced Minerals, Engraved and Faceted Gems, and the use of high quality finishes using specialised techniques of Cutting, Grinding, and Polishing.
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Metaphysical Properties
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Opal is the enhancer of personal power, revitalising your inner passion. They are a symbol of hope and insight, amplifying energies and protecting you from danger.
Said to facilitate change and progress, Fire Opal assists you in letting go of the past giving you strength to deal with injustice and grief to move forward with trust in life. Opal is a powerful stone for magic and during rituals. Opal enhances cosmic consciousness and induced metaphysical experiences. With mystical powers and an absorbent yet reflective surface Opal picks up thoughts and feelings and returns them amplified.