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Old age can be a fountain of beauty. Just look at the opal, 60
million years old - born in the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs
ruled the earth.
The story starts in Australia where a silica-laden
sea covered the now inland desert. Thirty million years later
the receding sea released silica into cracks, layers and fossils.
It was this solution that morphed into our precious opal. The
water effect in the colorful gemstone is in fact a remnant of
the ancient sea.
The magnificent array of color in an opal makes
it distinctive in the realm of gemstones. Iridescent color flashes
that change with the angle of the stone has been dubbed "opalescence".
It is the intensity and distribution of this color effect that
determines the value of an opal.
If you're interested to learn about the variety of opal in the world,
check
this list
Otherwise, start or add to your collection of
the enchanting gem at Ice.com.
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