FIRE-OPAL
Fire Opal is known and named for its vivid, fiery yellow, orange or orange-red colouring. One of the many varieties of Opal, Fire Opal is the nickname for the Mexican Opal.
Unlike other Opals, Fire Opal exhibits no play of colour and typically has a hazy or cloudy appearance. Transparent specimens are rare and therefore valuable.
Sources: Key sources of Fire Opal are Central America, South America and the USA, with the majority coming from Mexico. However, significant deposits of Fire Opal were recently found in Brazil, while small quantities are also found in Guatemala, Australia and Canada.
Similar gemstones: Fire Opal may be similar to Topaz, Citrine, and Carnelian.
Colour palette: Fire Opal has a wide colour range, from the highly regarded, sunny yellows to the highly prized, saturated oranges and orange-reds, with paler yellows, whites and even browns in between.
In the gemstone world, Fire Opal displays the most saturated orange and the vivid orange and red Fire Opals are the most valuable, while the paler yellow and white stones are less expensive.
Some Fire Opals display several colours in a single stone, with the best usually showing a vivid colour combination of burnt red-orange.
More information about the Fire Opal: Fire Opal is not a designated Birthstone or Wedding Anniversary gemstone, but could be considered for an October birthday or to celebrate a 14th Wedding Anniversary. Fire opal is said to carry strong karmic powers, representing justice and providing protection for its wearer.
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