We differentiate between the common fire opals, which, depending on their quality, are either faceted or cut into cabochons, and the especially valuable ones, which, in addition to their vivacious colour, also have the gaudy play of colour typical of opals. With a hardness of between 6 and 6.5 on the Mohs scale, however, the fire opal is among the somewhat sensitive gemstones which require a protective setting, especially when worn as a ring stone. The colour itself comes from fine traces of iron oxide. This radiant orange simply cannot be overlooked! The fire opal, which, like the other opals, consists of silicic acid with a relatively high water content, was named for its colour. The fiery, warm glow of the fire opal beguiles jewel enthusiasts the world over. Today, these Brazilian fire opals are setting new trends in the fascinating world of gemstones.Ī powerful gemstone with a vivacious colour Some of them are as big as a man's fist, which opens up completely new possibilities in the way they can be worked. What is particularly remarkable is the sheer size of the raw stones. Their warm, expressive orange comes in all varieties from yellow to light red, sometimes with a brownish undertone. They distinguish themselves by their beautiful colour, often with slight clouding, but without play of colour. Several years ago, in an agate mine near Campos Borges in the South Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, fire opals coloured yellow to orange were discovered.
Sometimes, these orange-red gemstones are also found in other countries, in Honduras or Guatemala, in the USA, Canada, Australia, Ethiopia and Turkey, but these are mostly sites of little or no economic significance. With a few exceptions, the gemstone, which lies hidden in cavities and crevices, is extracted in open-cast mines, the work giving rise to impressive canyons with walls up to 60 metres high and labyrinthine passages which wind their way through the mining areas. Rock strata containing opals run through the Mexican highlands, with their many extinct volcanoes. It is in Mexico that the most significant fire opal deposits in the world lie. Today, the fire opal is regarded as the national gemstone of that country.
until, in or around the year 1835, the fiery treasures hidden in the Mexican highlands were remembered, and work was gradually begun on the systematic mining of the places where they had been found. Yet one day, the gemstone knowledge of Mexico's natives, which had been handed down from generation to generation, somehow sank into oblivion for a long time. They called it quetzalitzlipyollitli, the 'stone of the bird of paradise'. The Mayas and Aztecs loved this gemstone and liked to use it in mosaics and for ritualistic purposes. It was believed that a gem that bubbled over with vivacity to such an extent as the fire opal could only have been created in the waters of paradise. They were already admired as symbols of the most fervent love in ancient times, in India and in the ancient Persian kingdom, and among the peoples of Central America and the Amerindians.
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