Opal Pro Expert Opal Advice

February 2, 2010

More language of opals

Filed under: About Opal — Tags: , — amster88 @ 7:05 am

Gemstones need to be cut or shaped in some way before being sold to the final link in the chain - the customer on the street who wants a piece of jewelry to wear, to show off that gemstone.

Calibrated opal - opal cut to standard dimensions. These are usually ovals, but may be cut into other shapes.

A baroque is an opal cut into an irregular shape.

Cabochon is the rounded shape used in cutting most opals.

Doublets and triplets are important words to know. A doublet is a two part stone, consisting of a thin slice of precious opal glued onto a thicker stone background. Or it could be a thin slice of opal topped with a quartz cap. A triplet is, as the name implies, a three-part stone consisting of a thin slice of precious opal glued to a thicker stone background, with a piece of clear quartz glued over the top - so the opal is sandwiched in between.

If you ever see something labeled as a Gilson opal, be aware that that is a synthetic opal. Opalite is another imitation opal.

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