Gemstone Sterling Opal

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Sterling Opal Gemstone - Meanings, Properties & Facts


Sterling Opal is an exquisite stone with a captivating beauty and a mesmerizing play of vibrant colors, primarily blues and greens with occasional flashes of other shades. Along with its aesthetic superiority, the stone’s metaphysical properties are equally popular. It is said to strengthen intuition power, help in emotional healing, and stimulate creativity. Gifted with exquisite beauty and vibrant colors the stone enjoys a prime position in the gemstone industry.


Benefits


The sterling opal stone is produced with real opals and thus offers the same benefits that are generally associated with real opals. Sterling opal’s metaphysical properties that need special mention are as follows:

  • Physical benefits: The stone benefits the wearer by boosting immunity and making the body stronger. It also increases physical stamina, helping a person to work for longer hours without being tired easily.
  • Emotional healing: Sterling Opal establishes emotional harmony by helping wearers to release emotional blockages. It soothes and calms the mind.
  • Spiritual benefits: Sterling opal benefits the spiritual seeker in multiple ways. It increases psychic powers in the wearer. It results in developing a more intense connection with inner wisdom and facilitates intuitive guidance. Collectively it helps in overall spiritual development.

Usage


Sterling opal is used in different ways due to its versatile nature. The exquisite beauty along with affordability makes the stone highly popular for creating attractive jewelry pieces like rings, pendants, and bracelets. Along with that, some crystal healers believe that as it is made with crushed pieces of real opal, the sterling opal has metaphysical properties for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of a person. Also, many house owners love to include sterling opal cabochons as a part of their interior decor scheme.


Appearance


Sterling Opal is primarily green and blue colored opal with a base color ranging from milky white to pearly shade. It has an opaque to translucent body and has a distinct visual phenomenon where the stone displays different colors when seen from different angles. 


Origins


Sterling Opal is a human-produced opal manufactured through a synthetic process that involves impregnating a good-quality opal medium with a specific resin for stability and color enhancement. The synthetic process offers higher control over the looks, shades, and patterns of the stone allowing for a distinguished vibrancy and consistency.


Care and Cleaning


Sterling opal is not a very soft stone but it still needs special care while cleaning or storing. Here are a few tips to remember to ensure durability and keep the stone’s beauty intact:

  • Though the stone is relatively more durable the harsh chemicals and cleaning agents can still damage the stone. So don’t expose your stone to strong cleaners like ammonia, bleach, etc
  • Use lukewarm water and mild soap to clean your stone. Use a soft-bristled toothpaste to gently scrub the stone for removing oils, dirt, or grime. After finishing thoroughly Rinse it to wash away the soap entirely
  • Direct exposure to sun or intense heat may result in the drying out of the opal and losing its characteristic color play. So, store your stone in a dry, cool place well protected from direct sunlight.
  • Rapid temperature changes can stress the opal and result in cracking. To protect your stone from sudden variations in temperature while storing or wearing it
  • Mishandling the stones can result in scratching or chipping. So, avoid wearing the stone when engaging in mechanical works, playing heavy sports, or engaging in activities that may expose the stone to the impacts of rough surfaces.

Real vs Fake


Unlike natural stones, sterling opal does not need standard real vs fake tests as it is a human-produced stone. However, you still need to check the quality of the stone which plays a vital role in determining its prices, especially when buying sterling opal online:

  • Play of colors: One thing that makes sterling opal stand out is the vibrant color play. You can test this by looking at the stone from multiple angles and lighting conditions to confirm if it can display an altering play of a wide range of colors. Notice the intensity of tone and brightness. A genuine sterling opal should exhibit a varied play of captivating colors.
  • Clarity and Transparency: Check the clarity and transparency of the stone without visible inclusions- the three key factors to determine the superior quality of the stone
  • Finishing: Carefully Inspect the stones for a well-polished, smooth finish. Good quality opals are known for their glossy appearance without pits, rough areas, or scratches.
  • Scratch test: Gently scratch the stone’s surface. A high-quality Sterling Opal is fairly resistant to scratches.
  • Buy from reputed sellers: One of the best ways to ensure the stone’s quality is to buy it from sources with a good reputation. Such stores with a strong reputation generally take care to sell only high-quality stones to keep their reputation intact.

Conclusion


Sterling Opal is a uniquely captivating gemstone famous for its vibrant color play. Along with aesthetic beauty, the stone is also famous for its metaphysical benefits. This man-produced opal displays the looks and aesthetics comparable to real opals but at a fraction of the prices which makes it a perfect alternative to natural opals that is more durable and affordable. Due to its easy availability, the stone is also famous among people who prefer to buy wholesale gemstones online instead of buying from physical stores which is more hectic and involves lots of guesswork.


FAQs


1. How is sterling opal different from conventional opals?

Sterling opal is a man-produced opal material that is manufactured in a lab using a mixture of natural opal chips and a plastic/base.


2. What is the manufacturing process of sterling opal?

For producing sterling opal the natural opal is crushed into small chips or pieces which are then combined with a plastic or resin base. Then the mixture is heated and toughened to produce material for synthetic opals.


3. What are the advantages of sterling opal over conventional opals?

The sterling opal stone’s price is the key advantage of the stone. Sterling opal is much more affordable than natural opals and has a unique consistency and vibrancy to match the beauty of the real one. Besides, human intervention allows for better control over the opal’s appearance and achieving superior looks.


4. What are some popular colors of sterling opal?

Being a man-produced variety the sterling opal can be available in a wide range of colors. Especially shades like pink, blue, and White Sterling Opal are widely popular.