White Opal and Chrysoprase Braid Bracelet

Description

Chrysoprase is a cryptocrystalline quartz, meaning its crystals are so small that they are indistinguishable under normal magnification. The light apple, mint and deep green colors come from trace amounts of nickle present during the formation process. Chrysoprase takes it’s name from the Greek word ‘chrysos’, meaning gold, and ‘prasos’, meaning leek; the name Australian Jade in turn is due to that fact that most of the world’s chrysoprase is found in Australia. Discovered in Marlborough in the early 1900s and commercially mined since the 1960s, much of the material found in Marlborough found its way to the People’s Republic of China as a popular jade substitute; leading to the misnomer. Possesses a soft translucence and prized for its bright, even color and texture.

This White Opal, to the best of my knowledge, is a type of fusion between opal and agate. Opal Agate is a banded variety of opal displaying different color shades, which resembles the structure of Agate as it comprises of alternating layers of opal and chalcedony.

Chalcedony is a type of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, meaning its crystals are so small that they are indistinguishable without a microscope. Chalcedony has a waxy or glassy luster, and comes in a wide range of colors. It can be found all over the world in volcanic rocks, geodes, and in sedimentary rocks.

The formation of this gemstone typically occurs in vesicles, (cavities) as nodules or geodes of volcanic rocks after they’ve cooled, such as basalt. As silica-rich solutions derived from groundwater and other mineral-rich sources pass through the porous volcanic rock, layers of microscopic silica are deposited onto the inner walls of the vesicles as it crystalizes. Over a long period of time, these alternating layers of differing minerals and silica create the patterns and bands characteristic of Agate. This process can take millions of years.