Fairy Opal Beads & Strands

Fairy opal is a natural opal found in Australia in several opal fields from south Australia to Queensland It is sandstone with speckles silica ,opal colour impregnated in the sandstone This fairy opal also has several other names such as, Fairy Opal matrix, Rainbow Opal matrix, Mass Opal, confetti ,Confetti matrix and Black Paradise Opal Matrix How is the opal treated/ First the sandstone is cooked in sugar and boiled with cooking oil and this mixture impregnated the sporous sandstone to absorb the mixture so the stone takes on darker or even black colour after cooking. It is the sandstone that absorbs colour not the opal so same a s enhancing a crystal opal by making background black the opal fires show more brilliantly. Most matrix is left in resins that is also absorbs and makes it easier to polish the fairy matrix opal to a good polishes if no resin the finish is more duller The more compacted the sandstone also the more darker colour Fairy opal is sandstone similar but not to be confused with Australian Andamooka matrix which is like concrete and Honduran matrix which is basalt. The treatment is permanent but is advised not to leave in direct sunlight This opal also is ideal to cut and shape as beads as the colour is imbedded all through the bead which is only found in crystal opals or Ethiopian opals and boulder opal is now so expensive to make into opal beads,as there is so much wastage to cut bead