Honduran Opal Information

Honduran opals are easily distinguished from other opals because of their distinct coloring. These opals can vary between a milky-white opal to a matrix-based one. These opals are primarily formed by volcanic eruptions that occur in South America. Australia may be known for having the worlds best opals, but Honduras is known for having the oldest opal mines in the entire world. They even have one of the most famous mines in the world, known as the Tablon mine. There are a lot of farms in this country that actually subsidize their incomes by mining opals. The opal mines in Honduras are found within volcanic black basalt. This is why the Black Matrix opals in Honduras naturally have this gorgeous and unique black color. Some of these are soaked later on in resin, which is in a similar manner to how producers treat emeralds.

What Makes Honduran Opal Special

It is important to note that Hondurian opals are not like the ordinary opals that you are most used to. These have a mixture of Opal and sandstone which can cause some issues for gemstone cutters who may be used to other types of opals. With the traditional Opals, you are able to prevent the gem from overheating while it is being worked on. In order for the cutter to get the perfect polished on this type of opal, the cutter needs to apply a low RPM while still creating a nice polish. Otherwise the stones will overheat and crack. As a result of the matrix’s absorbent properties, the finished gems need to be placed in a resin bath that is warm. Then it gets polished out and washed out as part of this process.

The resins are an important part of the process of finishing this type of opal. This is because the resin acts as a blockade to help stop the opals from engrossing any other substances, which can be a problem. You should know that the resin does not solidify the stone or cover it. These Honduras black matrix opals are naturally found with these black tones and will not be tinted by various methods like using sugar or acid treatments. In fact, the Honduras opals are much cheaper than other sugar treated matrix opals.

Honduran Opal And Leopard Opal

Honduras opals are comparable to the leopard opal, which comes from Mexico. It is an opal that does require a lot of light in order to truly see all of the incredible colors within the gemstone. These are opals that also will not have a lot of the sensitivity issues nor is it as delicate as other opals on the market. Honduras opals are as durable as they are gorgeous.

Opals are such appealing options because they are very unique gems. Each opal offers another type of beauty for the owner. You can tell opals apart from other gems but no one opal is exactly like another. These are simple but unique gemstones that any jewelry lover will just love to wear because the piece feels like it was made just for them. Show someone how special and unique they are by giving them an opal piece of jewelry.

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Honduran Opal

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