The Opal Bible: Everything There Is to Know About Opals

The Opal Bible; Everything There Is to Know About Opals by Hans J. Steinberg is a comprehensive opal gemstone guide written for collectors, jewelers, gem dealers, lapidaries, jewelry historians, gemstone investors, and anyone fascinated by one of the world’s most mysterious and beautiful gems.Drawing on forty years of experience in the gemstone trade, Hans J. Steinberg presents a clear and authoritative exploration of opals, from their geological formation to their role in fine jewelry, antique jewelry, modern collecting, and the international gemstone market. This book explains what opals are, how precious opal differs from common opal, why play-of-color occurs, and how microscopic silica structure creates the flashes of red, green, blue, orange, violet, and yellow that make opal one of the most captivating gemstones on earth.Inside this opal reference book, readers will discover the major types of opal, including black opal, white opal, crystal opal, boulder opal, fire opal, matrix opal, common opal, precious opal, Ethiopian opal, Australian opal, Mexican fire opal, Brazilian opal, Honduran opal, Indonesian opal, and American opal from localities such as Nevada and Idaho. The book surveys the great opal fields of the world, including Lightning Ridge, Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Queensland, Wollo, Querétaro, Piauí, Virgin Valley, and other important opal-producing regions.Designed as both an opal collecting guide and a practical gemstone education book, The Opal Bible explains how collectors and dealers evaluate opal quality, brightness, body tone, transparency, directionality, pattern, color range, cut, size, provenance, condition, rarity, market demand, and long-term desirability. Readers will learn the meaning of important opal pattern terms such as harlequin opal, pinfire opal, broad flash opal, rolling flash opal, flagstone pattern, ribbon pattern, Chinese writing pattern, mackerel pattern, floral opal, and picture opal.This book also provides practical guidance on opal care, cleaning opal jewelry, storing opals, preventing damage, understanding crazing, recognizing cracks and chips, identifying hydrophane opal, and protecting sensitive opal jewelry from heat, chemicals, moisture, impact, and abrasion. Special attention is given to opal treatments and imitations, including dyed opal, smoke-treated opal, sugar-acid treated opal, stabilized opal, coated opal, synthetic opal, imitation opal, opal doublets, and opal triplets.For jewelry lovers, the book explains how opals are used in rings, pendants, brooches, earrings, necklaces, men’s jewelry, antique opal jewelry, Victorian opal jewelry, Art Nouveau opal jewelry, Edwardian opal jewelry, Art Deco opal jewelry, mid-century opal jewelry, and contemporary opal design. It discusses how opals are paired with gold, platinum, white gold, diamonds, pearls, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, garnets, and other gemstones, while also explaining how opal settings should protect the stone.Readers interested in gem history will find chapters on famous opals, royal opal jewelry, museum opals, opalized fossils, legendary opal discoveries, and the myths and superstitions that shaped opal’s reputation. From the Olympic Australis and Aurora Australis to the Andamooka Opal, Flame Queen, Roebling Opal, opalized fossils, and the bad-luck myth associated with Sir Walter Scott, this book places opal in its historical and cultural context.Whether used as an opal identification guide, an opal valuation guide, a gemstone collecting book, a jewelry reference, or an introduction to gemology, The Opal Bible; Everything There Is to Know About Opals offers a detailed and accessible foundation for understanding natural opal, precious opal, opal jewelry, opal mining, opal cutting, opal treatments, opal care, and opal value. Read more