Which chakra does Fire Opal work with?

Fire Opal is traditionally associated with the Sacral · Solar Plexus chakra, the element of Fire, and the sign Leo · Sagittarius.

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Entry № 145

Fire Opal

Q: What is Fire Opal made of?

Fire Opal has the chemical formula SiO₂ · nH₂O, crystallises in the amorphous system and measures 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs) on the Mohs scale. Fire opal is a variety of common opal — amorphous hydrated silica — coloured by finely dispersed iron oxides rather than by the internal diffraction that produces play-of-colour in precious opal. The classical Mexican deposits at Querétaro form in vesicles of Tertiary rhyolite as silica-rich groundwater cools; Ethiopian Welo opal and Brazilian material have added new sources since the 1990s.

Hydrated Silica with Iron Chromophore

A stone that keeps sunset inside it.

Chakra

Sacral · Solar Plexus

Element

Fire

Zodiac

Leo · Sagittarius

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Fire Opal is worked with as a stone of appetite, kept nearby during creative labour, courtship and the practice of asking directly for what one wants. Practitioners hold it as a reminder that warmth is a colour a stone can hold and keep offering.

Chakra: Sacral · Solar Plexus
Element: Fire
Zodiac: Leo · Sagittarius
Keynote: A stone that keeps sunset inside it.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Fire opal is a variety of common opal — amorphous hydrated silica — coloured by finely dispersed iron oxides rather than by the internal diffraction that produces play-of-colour in precious opal. The classical Mexican deposits at Querétaro form in vesicles of Tertiary rhyolite as silica-rich groundwater cools; Ethiopian Welo opal and Brazilian material have added new sources since the 1990s.

Formula: SiO₂ · nH₂O
System: Amorphous
Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
Provenance: Mexico (Querétaro – San Juan del Río), Ethiopia, Brazil, Australia

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula: SiO₂ · nH₂O
Crystal System: Amorphous
Mohs Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
Density: 1.98 – 2.20 g/cm³
Refractive Index: 1.430 – 1.460
Provenance: Mexico (Querétaro – San Juan del Río), Ethiopia, Brazil, Australia
Color Origin: Translucent yellow through orange to red from trace iron oxides