Description
Space Castle ring.
Sterling silver 925, platinum-plated.
Handmade silver ring set with a dark blue opal, from the Space Castle series.
-Opal is a mysterious stone!
-Opal is a material with an unusual structure. It is amorphous, and its composition is essentially silicon dioxide, SiO2. What makes opal special is that its mass contains around 10% water. The SiO2 and the water form tiny spheres, which are arranged in space in various geometric patterns. When light passes through, it shows rainbow iridescence that changes with the viewing angle. This is what makes it so fascinating.
-It was formed 60,000,000 years ago and is one of the very few precious stones that form inside sedimentary rocks.
-The word opal comes from the Sanskrit word upala, which means stone. In the Middle Ages opal was called ophthalmios or lapis ophthalmius. The name came from the incredible belief, held at the time, that the colours of opal came from the pupils of young children’s eyes.
-It is a silica mineral, white or light blue in colour, with fiery iridescence. However, it also occurs in a wide range of colours, such as red, yellow, orange, blue, brown, violet, black and green.
-Today, top-quality opals sell for more than diamonds, at up to 20,000 dollars per carat. The most expensive are the opals that show four or more colours.
-In ancient Egypt it was a symbol of hope. In ancient Greece people believed that the spirit of truth lived inside the opal. The ancient Romans considered it the most precious gem after emerald. “The Burning of Troy” is the name of the beautiful opal that Napoleon gave to Josephine. The Aztecs also used it to adorn themselves and in religious ceremonies.
-The oldest known opal deposit in the world lies in a region of Slovakia. Australia is the most important source of opals worldwide. The finest fire opals come from Mexico and Honduras, black opals from Australia and white opals from Japan. Opals are also found in the Czech Republic, Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala and the western USA, as well as in India, Mongolia, Indonesia and Syria.
*All our jewellery comes with a certificate of quality and authenticity for the metal and the precious or semi-precious stones.
*All our jewellery is nickel free.
