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fire opal - quetza-litzle-pyolliti
If a fire opal has a play of color, it is more correctly known as precious fire opal .
Because of their distinct patterns of color which seem to move while viewing, fire opals have long been thought magical in their native Mexico.
This transparent to translucent stone can sometimes show a play of color, but it's the hot colors that makes it so distinctive. Even when fire opal has few, if any, flashes it is still valued for its color and clarity -- and its intense colors of fire make it a great addition to a jewelry designer's palette.
Besides Mexico, fire opal is also found in the cavities of volcanic lava flows in Central America (Honduras) and South America, as well as in British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona.
Fire opal is the only natural opal that is normally faceted.
 each one, a miniature sunset

photo: mike sanchez

Born of fire and found in the cavities of volcanic lava flows, fire opal -- with its hot yellows, oranges and reds that mimic the colors of fire -- has been described as "a miniature sunset."
Fred Ward, author of Opals, says, "When gems burn and glow like glowing embers, bright and vibrant...they are almost always volcanically-formed Mexican opals."
Often called Mexican fire opal, Ward says, "Few other countries and gems are as intimately linked in history and in the minds of the world's gem-buying public."

typical mexican fire opal mining operation

Unlike Australian precious opal -- sedimentary in origin -- formed at low temperatures from silica-bearing waters, fire opal is a hydrous silica that forms in gas cavities and rock fractures in volcanic rocks, mimicking the color of fiery lava.
With little mechanization, hand dug pits still dominate fire opal mining as they would have 500 years ago; mining the opal is said to be back-breaking work as well as ill-paid.
The two primary sources of fire opal are the volcanic deposits in the state of Queretaro (both a city and a state) -- which lead in quality and volume -- and the town of Magdalena (Jalisco State), a one hour drive north west of Guadalajara.

symbolic attributes

metaphysical
energy projective / yang
planet Sun, Mars
element fire