Gemstone of the Week

  Hey, this is Matthew with gemstone of the! week! I used to be on C.S.M. and came up with this idea, but never really got to use it. To start it off, I am going to be talking about opal. The ancient Romans used opal as a symbol of power, but it is considered to be unlucky! This is because of King Louis XIV. He rode in a fancy carriage, and one of the drivers' names was Opal. Opal always was drunk driving. He got the king in trouble, and is one of the reasons why the French rebelled. The Aztecs mined it in Central America, and is the best source for fire opal. The cool thing about opals is that they have a large uniqueness and interest. Fire opal is famous because it has intricate patterns on it that dazzle you. The cool thing is that when you move the fire opal around, you can actually see flashes of red on it! I collect gemstones myself, and have to say that this type of opal is beautiful! You all know from learning in science that opal is probably the softest gemstone. The other unique thing is that opals are one of the noncrystalline gems. It has a tendency to crack and chip, and this can occur under extreme temperature changes! Opal is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock! Pretty cool, huh! Some rocks are limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl and basalt. There are other types of opals too, such as white and black opals, found in Australia. The lightning ridge opal is my favorite, and is found in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales. It is considered the finest black opal, and its dark body color and amazing detail make it finer than white opals. This is the gemstone of the week! Thanks for reading!  GO SMARTIES!!!

                                                   -Matthew