The Andrew Geoghegan Brand
Award winning British jewellery designer
Celebrating Great British design in the Jubilee year
Fire Opal
We know that you want your piece to look its very best each time you wear it. Use the information below to help you take good care of your stone. We’ll advise you on the things to avoid whilst you’re wearing your stone in order to keep it in perfect condition. So you can wow the admirers of your jewellery with your vast knowledge of gemstones, we’ve thrown in some useful information about your stone. What more could you ask for?
Take good care…
You can clean your fire opal with a few drops of washing up liquid in water. Use a toothbrush to gently scrub behind the stone, removing the dust and debris that can build up.
Try to avoid…
Fire Opal, like other opal stones, has a high water content and because of this you should protect it from excessive heat and prolonged exposure to strong light which may dry out the stone. Avoid storing the piece in an air tight container – if it is locked in a safe for any length of time have a glass of water there also.
About your stone…
Fire Opal, with its sunset shades of yellow, orange and red, originates in the furnaces of Mexico’s ancient volcanoes. The Fire Opal forms when water seeps into the silica rich lava which fills seams and hollows, with the application of extreme heat and pressure, the silica forms a solid gel to create the gem. Small pieces of Fire Opal are found embedded in lava flows and is mined mostly in Mexican states the most important of which is Queretaro founded in 1835 and still producing today.
Pearls of Wisdom…
The name ‘opal’ was probably derived from the Sanskrit ‘upala’ meaning ‘valuable stone’. The opal has long been considered as a stone with tremendous healing powers and is reported to help its wearer find true love. Wearing the Fire Opal is said to enhance your personal creativity, aid memory and support faithfulness in relationships. Fire opal is also reported to help the wearer be successful in business and to keep the mind free of negative thoughts.
A legend of old suggests that the storm god was so jealous of the beautiful colours of the rainbow god that he threw a lightning bolt at him. The rainbow god dissipated into thousands of colourful pieces which fell to earth and were embodied in many different coloured opals. The Fire Opal was used by the Aztecs and the Mayans for rituals and religious ceremonies associated with love and happiness. It was referred to as the ‘stone of the bird of paradise’ and is the national stone of Mexico. Opal is the birthstone for October and Fire Opals are associated with the sun signs of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius.
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