It may be surprising to learn that Opals come in many colors ranging from clear, white, grey, red, yellow, green, blue, brown and on through to black.  However, white and blue-green are the most common colored stones found.  What makes precious Opals so special and beautiful though is the interplay of colors found inside the stones as light shines on it and this is the type that is used most often in jewelry.  Other types of opal that don't show the play of color are called common opal and can be found in locations all over the world.  Today, Australia produces most of the world's precious opal.  Most opal jewelry has a milky white base with varying flashes of color.

In ancient times the Opal was considered to be a stone that brought good luck because of the wide color spectrum shown by the stone.  The name Opal is thought to have come from the Sanskrit word for precious stone - Upala. 

The Opal is the traditional birthstone for the month of October. 

The multicolored flashes of light that precious Opal gives off makes it a truly beautiful and valuable stone.  The more vibrant the colors, the higher the value will be.  It is rated 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness.  Therefore, Opals are a bit more delicate than other harder gems like Diamonds and Sapphires.  It is probably a good idea to protect your Opal jewelry by not wearing it while playing sports or taking a shower for example.  Clean it with a soft cloth.

Synthetic Opal is produced and there are several different types: those grown in a lab which most closely resembles natural Opal, and stones made from plastic and glass.