A marvel that’s truly one of a kind: The colorful and vivid appearance of opals never fails to draw attention and spark curiosity. And, if you look more closely, you’ll notice that no two opals look alike. This is because opals exhibit unique patterns of play of color due to variations in the arrangement of silica spheres, making each stone color distinct. This characteristic teamed up with surreal beauty made this gem a rare possession soon after its discovery. It was, especially, highly revered by the royalty of ancient Europe. Today, opals continue to charm hearts with their fascinating appearance that is often compared to fireworks and even galaxies.

Dramatic play-of-color: Opal happens to be the only gem that exhibits an optical phenomenon called the ‘play-of-color’. This can be seen in the form of intriguing patterns and colors displayed on the surface of the gem. Millions of tiny, amorphous silica spheres present on the inside cause the stone to diffract light, and take on numerous colors from different angles. No wonder opal’s name was derived from the Greek word ‘opallios’ which means ‘to see a change of color’, and also the Roman word ‘opalus’, which translates to ‘precious stone’.

William Shakespeare’s "Queen of Gems": The world renowned poet and author gave opal this befitting title in his play called ‘Twelfth Night’, and for a good reason. After all, it is the only gem that showcases a fantastic union of all the colors of a rainbow. Though opal is the birthstone for the month of October, it’ll be a wonderful gift for any occasion that deserves the beauty and charm of a special gem.