The name Opal is transliterated from the English word opal. Also known as opal, opal-"opal" is the common name of high-quality opal produced in Australia. More than 95% of the world's high-quality opal is produced in Australia. 1On July 27th, 993, BillHayden, the incumbent Governor of Australia, officially declared Opal the "national stone" of Australia. Since then, opal produced in Australia has become a national light, so many people directly call this gem "Aobao".
Opal is dazzling and colorful, and it is the only natural gem in the world that can reflect all colors in the spectrum. It is called "the oil painting of God" by westerners, "the rainbow on the earth" by Australian aborigines, and even "the king of miracles and gems" by Shakespeare. Whether it is antique jewelry collection or modern luxury design, opal is not difficult to find in the masterpieces of top international brands.
Orpheus, a great musician and poet in Greek mythology, sang: "Opal fills the hearts of the gods with joy!" Since the Greek period, opal with color-changing effect has attracted the attention of royalty and celebrities all over the world. After centuries of circulation, its collectors have spread all over the European continent.
▲ An opal worth $68,500 at Baolong Auction House.
In the eyes of Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman naturalist, Opal Stone is a collection of "ruby red, amethyst bright purple and emerald sea green", and "all colors are incredibly combined to shine".
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Members of the Opal family made a collective appearance.
Black opal
Black opal is not black, but a kind of opal with dark body color and beautiful color change. The darker the body color, the closer it is to black, and the more it can reflect the change of color. It is mainly produced in Leiden Ningrich, New South Wales, Australia. It is the most famous, rare and expensive variety of opal, and the price per carat of fine grade even exceeds that of diamond. Black opal has bright colors, dark blue, dark green and black background, and it will emit flashing rainbow light, which is very charming.
Fire opal
Fire opal can be divided into two types: unchangeable and discolored, and the value of fire opal with strong discoloration is higher than that of fire opal without discoloration. Usually orange, orange red and red. Mainly produced in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, the United States and Australia. It is a translucent to opaque opal with yellow, orange or bright bright red, with little or no color change.
Gravel opal
Gravel opal is often called iron opal, and iron ore is often layered or irregularly attached to the opal, which is different from black opal, which is an opal component. Gravelly opal is attached to inseparable iron ore as colored opal, which is mainly produced in Queensland, Australia. This kind of opal can only be cut with iron ore, and the color of opal looks very beautiful because of the dark color of iron ore.
White opal and light opal
Transparent, translucent to slightly transparent. Color changes occur on white or light gray body colors. At present, the price of this kind of opal is relatively close to the people. Of course, a good white opal is definitely worth collecting.
Shuioupo
Transparent to translucent. Clean body color This opal is mainly produced in Ethiopia, Africa, and can produce unique color changes. Some people call this kind of opal crystal opal, but it must be distinguished from Australian crystal opal. The output of water opal is huge, the stability is poor, and it can't reach the gem level, so the price is also very low.
Focus! ! !
Opal is the exclusive treasure of European royal families in past dynasties, and all European royal aristocrats submit to her beauty. However, opal is a relatively new gem in China. Information asymmetry has caused many little fairies who love opal not to know how to buy opal, and buried many pits.
Be sure to choose to buy precious opal. Opal stones in Australia and Mexico are very precious and rare. Avoid buying "junk goods" from Africa. Beware of being cheated!
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Favor from the royal family.
As early as the Renaissance, the British royal family began to pay attention to opal. /kloc-In the 6th century, the British royal family positioned opal as a ceremonial jewelry used only in formal social occasions.
Queen Elizabeth I is a big fan of Opal. Whenever she attends major events, she will wear opal jewelry specially customized by jewelers. (The picture shows the opal bracelet collected by Queen Victoria 1859)
Because opal is so beautiful, it has become a famous social means of Queen Victoria. 1863, she gave Princess Alexandra of Denmark a set of opal jewelry as a wedding gift in the name of Prince Albert and Queen. This set of opal jewelry was designed by Prince Albert himself and carefully produced by Gerald Jewelry Company. In addition, the royal couple gave opal jewelry to their five daughters.
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Queen Elizabeth II is also a fan of opal. As a royal jewelry designer, Andrew Grima once customized a large number of opal jewelry for the Queen. (The picture shows the necklace of Queen Elizabeth II, inlaid with Andamuka crystal opal weighing 203 carats. )
Josephine, the queen of Napoleon, often wears opal jewelry to show luxury. It is said that she has an opal necklace called "Burning Troy", which weighs 700 carats! Unfortunately, I didn't see you ~
In modern times, jacqueline onassis, the wife of former US President Kennedy, and many movie stars have also become opal lovers. Among them, Elvis Presley, the famous king of rock music, can not be ignored. He often wears a luxurious ring inlaid with a huge opal at concerts. He followed the life precepts of completely quitting smoking and drinking all his life, but he was deeply attracted by the magic of Opal. He once collected a dazzling opal called "Flame Queen" at a high price of $75,000. So far, this is still the highest transaction price in the history of Opal.
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Inspiration muse of luxury tycoon
Silk gauze
In the 1920s, Tiffany's chief designer thought that "beauty is a super gift given by nature", and his design advocated combining nature with culture and art to show human's interpretation and gratitude for beauty. These designs did not have a chance to appear in the China market, but were bought by collectors as soon as they appeared.
Dior
When the legendary jewelry artist Victoirede Castellane started a new era of top jewelry, opal became her muse. When it comes to gorgeous colors, bold styles and interesting designs, Dior is even more eclectic. No wonder it always disappears in the implicit China market.
Xiao Mei
This little-known brand in China is actually a crown and jewelry manufacturer used by the French royal family for generations, so most of the exquisite designs are gorgeous and expensive, and the opal selected is a collection-level treasure.
Louis Vuitton
In 20 14, Louis Vuitton used an 87.92-carat giant black opal in the necklace of Acte V series to show its love for opal. Its dazzling, domineering and shocking Queen Fan instantly attracted the attention of the entire jewelry industry.
Cartier
This luxury jewelry star is actually opal powder! In fact, Cartier has been using all kinds of precious opals since the 1920s, and its design has many exquisite and colorful details. It is worth mentioning that many of Cartier's designs are based on the image of auspicious animals, which perfectly embodies the ingenious spirit that Opal took hundreds of millions of years to form and gathers the energy of heaven and earth.