Discovered in 1990, Ethiopian opal was first commercially mined in 2008. It comes from Ethiopia's northern Welo (or Wello) District.

"Opal" comes from the Sanskrit word upala, which means "precious stone." This comes from the stories from ancient India, which said the Mother Goddess changed the virgin Goddess of the Rainbow into a stone to save her from the amorous attentions of three gods. The word was adopted in Latin during Roman times as opalus.

Opal is one of the official birthstones for the month of October (along with pink tourmaline) and an alternative birthstone for April. It is modernly used to mark the 14th anniversary of a marriage.

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