In the Ancient World, the opal was considered to be the most valuable gemstone after the emerald. The only reason for its placement after the green stone was its lower position on the hardness scale. The first real market for the colourful gem was established during the Roman empire. As a result of their prosperous bourgeoisie, the jewellery field thrived, with opal-set parures regarded amongst the most prestigious. Pliny, the famed Roman writer, described the gems enthusiastically as possessing "a refulgent fire of the carbuncle, the glorious purple of the amethyst, the sea green of emerald, and all those colours glittering together mixed in an incredible way". The examples that Pliny saw most likely came from mines in Hungary which were closed down in 1922.

Currently, Australia is the most important producer of opals. They were initially discovered in 1849. By 1890, the first commercial mine began exporting white opals from White Cliffs in New South Wales. The year 1903 marked the unearthing of the most celebrated type, the black opal, mined at Lightning Ridge, which would bring Australia fame as the world's leading producer. Other famous mines are those in Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Mintabie.

Throughout jewellery history, the opal has enjoyed periods of great popularity. Two of its high points, excluding the Roman period, were the Renaissance and the Victorian ages. Queen Elizabeth I was known for her exquisite opal parures, and in the latter part of the 19th Century, they were popular due to Queen Victoria's preference for the stone. One can also view a splendid suite in the Austro-Hungarian Crown jewels.

The present opal beads demonstrate wonderful play-of-colour, the phenomenon for which the gemstones are famous. Depending on which way they are viewed, they show either an intense red, orange and yellow, intermingled with sky blue and green as they alter. The make-up of these gemstones is is an amorphous, hydrous form of silica and amazingly, they contain anywhere from five to ten percent water.