Have you ever heard of...

[rparker1998]

a blue opal? I just received a piece from a very respected source....and well it looks more like an agate to me...(one of those things to post tomorrow as it's night here)

Where does this come from??? It is solid and doesn't have the play of fire like most...

 

[VapidLapid]

Lots of that. I think most opal minerals haven't the play of fire that comes to mind when we hear "Opal" . It sometimes seem as though any hydro-silicate mineral is called opal. Many of the blue opal comes from peru.

 

[LD]

They are sold widely on Carribean cruises also. It normally is milky/opaque rather than clear.

 

[Largosmom]

A couple of locations blue opal is available from include Oregon and Peru. I think it is a pretty stone, but I would not expect a play of color. There are other opals with no color play.

Occasionally opals have color play only if you light them from behind or the side and look into the stone with a magnifier. I don't know if blue opals fall into this category...I have three in shades of orange that do this. Otherwise, you cannot see any color play in them. They were called contra luz opals by the person who gave them to me. I don't know much more than that.

Laura

 

[ruffysdad]

Sure, opal's really pretty common stuff when you get right down to it. Not the stuff like the Australian and Ethiopean opals but as mentioned, Peru and Oregon have produced blue opal. Peru also has some nice pink opal and when you add in all of the petrified wood that's laying around in Washington state, Arizona, and who knows where else, there's a lot of it out there. Some of it turns out really nice cabachons even though there's no fire in it. Speaking of fire, let's not forget the Mexican jellies, cherry and fire opals .

Pete