Archive for July, 2010
Aquamarine: Blue Beryl
July 30th, 2010 | 
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Was aquamarine the first wedding gem? A couplet in a late 11th century poem by the Bishop of Rennes specifically mentions this sea-blue and green beryl in a context of matrimony. It is one of the earliest such references to an exchange of gemstone rings:
This potent gem, found in far India’s mines,
With mutual love the wedded couple binds.
By the time the churchman wrote these lines, aquamarine was a highly revered gem – with a long history dating back to 3500 B.C. when it was first found in Egypt. By 1500 B.C., it was used for amulets in India, then as beads for jewelry in Greece and later carvings in China – all before the birth of Christ.
The name aquamarine is an amalgam of Latin words meaning “water of the sea.” Roman artisans prized this gem for use in carving intaglios, figures engraved below the surface of a stone to appear like a design in relief. Charlemagne (742-814) owned an intaglio of Julia, daughter of Emperor Titus, carved in the first century A.D.
Although aquamarine has been prized for millennia, it was never found in any great quantity until Spanish explorers discovered it in Brazil in the late 17th century. Ever since, this country has been the single biggest producer of the gem. However, since 1960, Africa has become the largest collective producer with significant mining in Kenya, Madagascar and Zambia. China has also been a source but the bulk of its material is pale powdery blue to nearly colorless. Colorado briefly mined aqua with such success in 1910 that it later became the state gem.
Since 1911, it has been the official birthstone for March.
Aquamarine often occurs in large flawless crystals which yield sizable clean stones. The largest such crystal, found in 1910, weighed an astonishing 520,000 carats (243 lbs.). It is common to heat aqua at medium temperatures to eliminate traces of green and grey. The enhancement is permanent and in no way harms the stone. However, some stones resist color alteration.
Connoisseurs expect aqua to be eye-clean and a deep mouthwash blue.
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Black Opal: Gemstone Fireworks
Oh, the power of the pen!
In 1829, Sir Walter Scott published a novel called “Anne of Geierstein” that single-handedly destroyed the world opal market. In this book, a character dies shortly after her fiery opal is touched by a drop of holy water and loses all its vibrancy and color. A superstitious world thought that Scott was describing a curse that afflicted all opals and largely stopped buying the gem. Prices crashed.
Sad though this was, it was not as great a loss as you may think. Most of the opal of Scott’s time came from Hungary and it was, pardon the pun, from hunger – pale with slight iridescence. Maybe the world had been seeking an excuse to abandon opal.
In 1877, it found an excuse to start buying it again when black opal was found at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia. Over the next few decades, other finds of this spectacular opal were to be made in other parts of this sprawling country.
To this day, however, black opal and Lightning Ridge are synonymous with the absolute best there is of this gem. Why is black opal the most highly prized of its species? Do a mental exercise. Think of looking at fireworks in an evening versus a nighttime sky. The black field of the night sky makes the colors of the fireworks seems so much brighter, vivid and distinct. So it goes with black versus white opal.
This isn’t to say white opal isn’t beautiful. It is. But black opal is what connoisseurs prefer and pay the highest prices for. When shopping for black opal, look for the following:
- Base color. The darker the base, or “potch,” of an opal, the more pronounced its play of spectrum colors.
- Overlay colors. There’s a lot of opinion here as to what are the best predominant colors in opal. Although most experts will tell you they want red and then orange to predominate, some stones marbled with blue and green that resemble Mother Earth seen from outer space fetch top money, too.
- Color play. Fine opal boasts distinct color patters with hues appearing as broad flashes and swirls rather than tiny points. Experts describe these broad flashes as “rolling fire.” In exceptional stones, the colors will appear like a grouping of flagstones.
- A word of caution: Opal is gelled silica, containing as much as 20% water. After mining, some opals will dry out and crack. This is called “crazing.” If you buy a black opal, ask the seller if the stone has been subjected to a suitable waiting period to make sure it is not one of those stones prone to cracking.
White Opal: The World’s Favorite Fire Power
Every year millions of carats of white opal are imported into America, most of it from Australia but a lot of it from Brazil. As the October birthstone, it makes a popular choice for trinkets and keepsakes.
Most of this opal is commercial quality, with white to slight gray base color against which can be seen pale pinpoints of spectrum color. This color play is called “fire” and, unfortunately, most opal has about as much fire power as a BB gun – or maybe we should say a cap pistol.
But, hey, what can you expect for the little money such opal costs?
The trouble is, commercial opal gives this gem a bad name. Some white opal glistens with streams and swirls and clusters of fire. In the best quality material, the color forms distinct broad patterns. There’s nothing better when it comes to opal – except black opal (see separate article). But you’ll have to pay for the privilege of owning high-caliber white opal.
We think it’s well worth the price.
And if you’re looking for a bargain in fine white opal, may we suggest material from Mintabie, Australia, where stones have a light grey to charcoal base color which heightens the play of spectrum color. At its best, this material begs for classification as black opal. But because it doesn’t technically qualify as such, you get the benefit of that disqualification with a lower price. What’s in a name, anyway?
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