Peruvian Blue store Opal Cabochons, 6x4mm

Here are six sweet little bright blue Peruvian opals. The photo doesn't do these glowing little stones justice. They're gorgeous!

6x4mm

1.71 carats total

100% natural gem, no treatments or enhancements

Fair Trade cut calibrated

Jewelry Designers! Scroll down to see Quantity Discount COUPON CODES!

This Stone's Provenance

Our Peruvian Blue Opal is a rare color opal from Arequipa State in southern Peru. It is mined in small hard rock mines in the high elevation desert west of the Andes.

About Our Peruvian Blue Opal

The varied hues of Peruvian blue opal, from light celadon green to the rare and highly sought after gem electric blue, have been appreciated since the time of the early Incas. It has only been in the last 20 or so years that this stone has been recognized worldwide and brought to the market as a beautiful gem in its own right. During this time, most of the blue opal was mined down to the depth where it turned white, and very little is coming from the mines today. The gem's beautiful blue color is caused by submicroscopic inclusions of the secondary copper mineral chrysocolla, so this lovely gem does not occur below the oxidized zone of the earth's crust, making for a very limited supply.

According to gemological tests at G.I.A., the blue opal has the gemological properties of an opal (Gems and store Gemology, Summer 1991, p. 121 and Winter 1991, p. 260). However, this opal never has play of color or "fire" like the Australian opals. Some translucent stones can have an adularescent glow.

Attributes
Hardness: 6 - 6.5, harder than many opals
Refractive Index:1.45
Specific Gravity:2.15
Enhancements:(N) None, (D) Dye. Chalcedony and Calcite are also dyed to imitate blue opal. The Peruvian blue opal gems we offer are completely natural stones that have had no color enhancement or stabilization treatments. Translucent stones may milk in a desert climate, reacting to lower moisture levels, but will regain their translucency when returned to a moister climate. All of the stones offered here have been in a dry desert climate, so may become more translucent.

Care: It is important to protect blue opal from temperature extremes and
prolonged exposure to heat and direct sunlight, like in a hot car or
display window. Due to the porous nature of opals, heavy perfumes or
other chemicals, oils, and adhesives can also harm the stone or alter its
color. Minimize exposure to these.
Ultrasonic:No
Steamer: No
Clean with:Warm water (not hot!)

Locations
Worldwide:Peru
United States:Arizona

Notes:
Opal is one of the birthstones for October.

Lore:
Healers treat fatigue and strengthen the eyes and heart with blue opal. The stone has also been honored and used as a stimulator of inspiration, imagination and creativity.

COUPON CODES for Jewelry Designers

Use these every day for your Out Of Our Mines purchases. Purchase amounts are based on order total, before shipping. Be sure to use your coupon code AT CHECKOUT! Sorry, no discounts after checkout.

Order $100+………$5 off……..COUPON CODE: Design2Save5

Order $150+………$10 off……..COUPON CODE: Design2Save10

Order $250+………$20 off……..COUPON CODE: Design2Save20

Order $400+…….10% off……..COUPON CODE: Design2SaveMore

Please contact us for further discounts off larger purchases.

Any questions, please feel free to ask us. We're always happy to help!