Can An Opal Gem Stone Be Transparent?
It is true that, more than 80% of the opal gem stone mined worldwide is opaque or transluscent. It therefore seems quite strange when you hear about a transparent opal gem stone. However, there is one type of opal mined in Mexico that has a high degree of transparency. This is the fire opal gem stone, a pale orange to dark orange-red gemstone that is named after it’s flame-like ‘orange’ color. The term ‘fire’ in this case should not be confused with the word ‘fire’ used to describe other types of opal. If you use the term ‘fire’ to describe other types of opal, it would imply the color flashes that they show. However fire opal is named so, because of it’s orange (flame) color. One thing that is common to all types of opal including fire opal, is the presence of moisture in the gem stone. If you observe the color range in which fire opal is normally found, you will notice that light orange opal has a higher degree of transparency. Colors that move towards the darker side of the spectrum
