Cherry Opal

Cherry Opal is a trade name for opal with a rich cherry-red to reddish-pink body color. It is most often associated with Mexican deposits, where it is closely related to fire opal but tends toward a deeper red tone.

Like all opal it is hydrated silica containing several percent water. The red color is produced by finely dispersed iron oxides within the silica.

Much cherry opal is common opal showing only its glowing body color, though some pieces display play-of-color flashes that add to their value.

Cherry Opal forms when silica-rich solutions, often associated with volcanic activity, fill cavities and fractures in rhyolite and other igneous host rocks. As the silica gel dries and hardens, it locks in trace iron oxides that give the stone its red hue.

The warm Mexican opal deposits formed in gas pockets and vugs within volcanic flows, where circulating hot groundwater carried dissolved silica.

Mexico, particularly the states of Querétaro and Jalisco, is the classic source; similar reddish opal also occurs in other volcanic opal fields worldwide.

Look for a translucent to transparent cherry-red to reddish-orange stone with a vitreous to waxy luster and white streak. Hardness is 5.5-6.5.

Many cherry opals are clean of inclusions and glow when backlit. Some show green or multicolor play-of-color flashes.

Look-alikes include fire opal (more orange), red glass (often with bubbles and a perfect conchoidal fracture), and almandine garnet (much harder at 7-7.5, denser, and crystalline). Opal's lower hardness and water content distinguish it.

Cherry Opal is faceted when transparent and clean, or cut as cabochons, for use in rings, pendants, and earrings. Transparent red stones with even color are especially desirable.

Because opal is soft and can craze, it benefits from protective settings and should be kept away from heat and dryness.

In metaphysical traditions, red opal is associated with energy, passion, and vitality. These associations are cultural; the stone's real appeal is its warm, glowing color and gem clarity.