Pink Opal Crystals from Peru
The shade of pink in some of these crystals is so delicate it's only just pink. In others it's as rich as candy floss (cotton candy). Some feature black, white, yellow and grey mineral inclusions.
Pink opal and precious opal have an almost identical chemical composition. Common opal as the pink variety is correctly known lacks 'play of colour'. Both stones are made up of hardened silica gel (water and quartz) and contain five to ten percent water in tiny pores. The pores are so minute they cannot even be seen under a regular microscope.
Although often referred to as a mineral opal is in fact a mineraloid. These naturally occurring solids do not exhibit a crystalline structure.
The name 'Common Opal' came about because the stone is relatively common and can be found in many countries around the world. Although best known for being pink it occurs in several colours.
These pink opal crystals are a medium sized stone. Weights and sizes vary slightly from piece to piece. We only have a small number of this stone left available.