I absolutely adore wearing pendants. A beautiful pendant can instantly add the wow factor to any type of outfit. My collection includes diamond, sapphire, ruby, purple amethyst, green amethyst, blue topaz, and garnet pendants. I like classically shaped pendants such as heart ones. My favorite pendant is the heart shaped diamond one my husband presented me with on our memorable honeymoon. Whenever I want to add sparkle to an outfit, I wear this stunning piece of jewelry. On this blog, I hope you will discover the amazing benefits of owning a variety of different types and sizes of pendants. Enjoy!
If you are shopping for an opal for the first time, you may be unaware that the stones tend to have different patterns, from the common floral pattern to the rare harlequin. Use the guide below to distinguish between the patterns.
Floral Pattern
The most common of the opal patterns, the floral pattern contains bright, radiant colors, such as green, red, or yellow, that are randomly speckled throughout the stone. The background is typically white or cream colored, although you may find darker shades in some stones.
When you turn the stone around in your hand, the rays of color resemble the petals of a flower. As you roll the stone around, the pattern, brightness, and colors seem to change.
Chinese Writing Pattern
The next pattern is referred to as Chinese writing. The markings are typically single colored lines set against a dark, multicolored background. The lines may criss-cross each other and be of different thicknesses. When viewed straight on from the top, they resemble the markings used for writing the Chinese language.
Rolling Flash Pattern
If you find an opal that has a large patch of a single color, such as red or green, you are most likely seeing the rolling flash pattern. It is named as such because the color of the patch does not change as you turn the stone and view it from all different angles, even though the background colors may change their hues and brightness.
Straw Pattern
Opals that have markings of straight lines with very little curvature are said to have a straw pattern. The lines in this pattern tend to have brilliant, multicolored hues, while the background colors are darker, muted colors. If you look at the stone from different angles, the lines resemble neatly stacked straw.
Harlequin Pattern
Perhaps the rarest of any pattern you may find in an opal, the harlequin markings contain alternating blocks of colors with no distinguishing background. These stones tend to have darker shades of green mixed in with reds and yellows. If you look at the stone from either the top or the bottom, it looks like an old checkerboard.
If you are unable to find or recognize any of the above patterns, you may want to speak with the jeweler. They may be able to point you in the right direction or have a special stone ordered for you to pick up at the jewelry store.
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