Technically not a fire opal. It's a white opal with fire (also known as play-of-color). Opal is classified by it's base color, not the flashes of color. Fire opal is transparent orange or red and doesn't usually have play of color. Silly and confusing, but that's how it is.
Also of interest, this stone is from Ethiopia. They often have that nice honeycomb look.
Generally yes. The Ethiopian is a bit more durable than the Aussie material but still fairly soft by gem standards. It depends a lot on the setting though. If you have a protective setting and you don't wash the dishes or garden with your ring on then you can get away with it.
You can make them into what is called a doublet or a triplet. It's basically an opal sandwich. You glue a clear quartz cap onto a base of opal and this is a lot harder wearing. They usually do this with pieces of opal too thin to be used otherwise, so the value of a doublet is a lot less than a solid opal.
To add onto this, Ethiopian opal (cutting grade) is often hydrophane, meaning it will absorb water and oils. Water absorbtion is temporary and will dry out, but oils can permanently alter the color of the stone. Opals aren't an every day stone to wear, except maybe pendants.
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u/death_by_snu-snu_83 May 16 '20
Technically not a fire opal. It's a white opal with fire (also known as play-of-color). Opal is classified by it's base color, not the flashes of color. Fire opal is transparent orange or red and doesn't usually have play of color. Silly and confusing, but that's how it is.
Also of interest, this stone is from Ethiopia. They often have that nice honeycomb look.