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Amethyst is an extremely sought-after gem which has been valued by many civilizations since antiquity. A variety of vitreous quartz, amethyst often forms dramatic prismatic crystals which are often formed into jewelry without being cut. Brazil and Uruguay are common sources of high quality amethyst. In the early Christian church, amethyst was believed to guard against intoxication, hence its derivation from the Greek "amethustos," meaning "not drunk." Opals form when silica gel hardens in the cracks of other rocks. Most of the world's precious opal comes from Australia, where opal is the national gem. A boulder opal is an opal that has been sliced together with its surrounding ironstone for a varied look. Fire opal from Mexico comes in shades of orange and Peruvian opal is an opaque blue-green stone. An opal doublet has polished precious opal on the top with an ironstone backing added for strength, making the slice of opal less prone to chipping. This attractive opal stone is an authentic Australia fire flash black opal doublet that has a boulder ironstone backing. It is made with excellent quality blue-green opal with multi-color sparkles.
An "opal-doublet" has the polished precious real opal on the top and ironstone backing. As a result the slice of opal is thicker, stronger and less prone to chipping. As a rule, opal doublets are cheaper than solids, but this is not always the case. Some high quality doublets can be more expensive than lower quality solids, and this pendant contains a high quality doublet. GORGEOUS.<
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