The traditional precious opal, with its unique play of color, has been valued since Ancient Rome. Like all opals, the fire opal is amorphous hydrated silicon dioxide. This is an opal known not for its play of color, but for its vivid body color, which ranges from white to yellow to orange to red. But despite these shortcomings, they continue to be very popular because of their unique color. During the Middle Ages, precious opal was regarded as especially lisabeth because it displayed the colors of many different gemstones. They are the most delicate gemstones commonly worn.

Not every culture has had the same view, however. All of the opals have some gemstone characteristics which are, to be frank, less than ideal. Recently we have seen growing interest in one of the lesser know opals, the so-called fire opal. The Stunning Fire Opal of Mexico In the world of colored gemstones it is color which matters most, and a number of gemstones with outstanding color are highly regarded despite having some fairly obvious shortcomings. These include softness, a tendency to dehydrate and crack, physical weakness and sensitivity to heat and chemicals.

A well-known Russian superstition associates precious opal with the evil eye.