10/10/2026
Happy October! And happy opal season✨ Prized since antiquity, opal gets its name from Sanskrit “upula”, meaning “precious stone”. Long reserved for royalty, the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor held a superb fiery red opal called “The Burning of Troy”, which was later given by Napoleon to Josephine. Queen Victoria also often presented opals as wedding gifts. Until the late 19th century, the primary source of precious opal was in modern day Slovakia. Today, Australia is the major source. Additionally, gem quality opal from the Welo district in Ethiopia took the world by storm in 2008 and has proven itself equal to Australian opal in stability and quality. There are plenty more types of opals, all of which we are happy to tell you all about here at the gallery.
