Have you ever gotten lost in the colors of an opal? Here’s a little background on this precious stone that will make you take a deeper look at its beauty!
I’ve never seen two opals that look exactly the same, which always makes me glad when I get to gift opal jewelry. The beauty and mystery of Opal always seems to grab my attention and entice my imagination. It almost seems as if this stone is something from another world. Although some opals may look like a starry night’s sky or even another galaxy, the opal is actually a hydrated type of Sicilia that forms underground over millions of years. There are many variations of opals though, so you won’t find the same combination of colors on the market. Most opals, say 90 to 95%, are mined in Australia, which is why the opal has become their national stone.
Although the opal is beautiful and so unlike many other stones on the market, it often gets a bad rep for being unlucky. This is partly due to Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 novel Anne of Geuerstein. In the novel Lady Hermione wore a piece of opal jewelry in her hair that reflected her mood. When she was happy the opal sparkled, but when she was angry the opal became fiery. Many people began to believe that Hermione was a demon, so holy water was sprinkled on the opal. Immediately, the opal lost its luster and the Lady became ill and fainted. When she was checked on in the morning there was nothing but ashes where the Lady once lay.
Captivating opal is beautiful even before it becomes jewelry.
This novel, although it’s a work of fiction, caused opal sales to drop a whopping 50%! They didn’t pick up again until decades later when Queen Victoria began to proudly wear the opal again. The Queen even gave opal jewelry to her daughter’s as a wedding gift. They all fared well and people began to step away from the stigma and buy opal jewelry once more.
There are a whole lot of positives about opals though! I mean, how could there not be?! In Asia the opal is actually seen as a sign of hope, which is probably why so many collectors are fast to act when a high quality opal is placed on the market. In ancient times, the opal was seen as a symbol for fidelity and assurance, which made it a popular wedding gift. It is also a lesser known tradition to present opal jewelry on your 14th wedding anniversary.
Light green opal crystals appear under crust of boulder.
Opal jewelry was also highly sought out by women in the medieval days. They believed if they wore opal jewelry in their hair it would never fade or darken with time. One of the stranger myths behind the opal was its ability to turn anyone that wore it invisible on command, thus making it sought after by many thieves. Even today I hear many people talk about the opal keeping the eyes healthy as well as how it helps fight off many diseases.
In the jewelry world the opal is the October birthstone, which makes anyone born in this month incredibly lucky to have such a mysterious stone! There’s a wide selection of October birthstone jewelry on the market that would make any fan of the opal weak in the knees. There’s no doubt that October is the month to buy opal jewelry, so make sure to keep a look out for great deals if you’re celebrating a birthday, wedding anniversary or just love this remarkable stone!
