How to choose an opal is a question that interests lovers of unusual jewelry. But not every buyer will be able to afford a product with opal, since some varieties of the mineral are more expensive than diamonds.
Set (ring + earrings) with Ethiopian opals
The most expensive varieties of opal are noble and black stones. All other types are a little cheaper, so they can be found in jewelry stores. The difference in cost between different types of opal depends on the rarity of the mineral, and not on its composition. There are few deposits of precious opal and almost 90% of them are located in Australia, the rest is mined in Ethiopia.
Story
The East treated opal with slight caution. It was believed that the gem makes the owner indulge in empty dreams (but the work is worth it!). But in general it is a stone of hope and fidelity.
The popularity of opals in Europe was promoted by the tender love for gems of the English Queen Victoria.
- Literature played an unfortunate role in the popularity of opals. Oscar Wilde first said in his tragedy “Salome” that the stone “makes the soul sad and instills fear of darkness.”
- The 19th century bestseller “Anne of Geiernstein” generally blamed opal for all the troubles of all the heroes of the novel (and hinted at the same role for any owner of the gem).
These novels “helped” some jewelers go bankrupt.
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
The unfortunate gem was even blamed for the death of the family of Nicholas II, the last Russian Tsar.
Who knows how much is superstition and how much is truth...
Among myths and legends
A lot of them.
- Pliny the Elder suggested that the name (Latin) of the gem is related to the goddess Ops. This is the wife of Saturn (Crona in Greek mythology). Saturn's father (whom his son castrated with a sickle) predicted that he, too, would come to an end from one of the children. Therefore, Saturn regularly ate his newborn children. The wife got tired of this chaos, and she replaced the next baby (Zeus) with a stone. Cronus swallowed the stone like a seed, and Zeus lived, grew, and in the end pushed daddy off the throne. True, not right away. It was a real war, called the Titanomachy.
- Australian Aborigines say that opal was formed where the Creator of the World walked on the earth.
- For the Arabs, opal is a trace of lightning striking the ground.
origin of name
Most experts believe that etymologically the name comes from Sanskrit, from the word “fell” (stone).
Another version is that the name is derived from the Latin opalus (“change of color”).
Ancient Greek version ὀπάλλιος.
Story. Legends and myths about the stone
Writers have compared opals to volcanoes, galaxies and fireworks.
Fans and connoisseurs of the stone gave poetic names to unusual opals: “Pandora”, “Light of the World”, “Empress”. In ancient Rome, this gem symbolized love and hope. And it was the Romans who gave the mineral the name we use to this day - “opal”, which meant “precious stone”. Advertising - Continued below
In 75 AD, the Roman scholar Pliny observed: “Some opals carry such a play that they match the deepest and richest colors of artists. Others imitate the blazing fire of burning sulfur and even the bright flashes of burning oil." He was delighted that this kaleidoscopic gemstone included the red of the ruby, the green of the emerald, the yellow of the topaz, the blue of the sapphire and the purple of the amethyst.
The opal was set into the crown of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who claimed that the stone shone in the darkness and believed that it protected his power and his life. In his many stories about opal, he mentioned one wonderful property of this stone, which supposedly allows the owner to become invisible. Naturally, because of this, opal became a talisman for thieves.
For a time it was believed that opal could preserve the life and color of blond hair.
Opal is considered the birthstone of October. And some people think that this stone should not be worn by those born in any other month. But this superstition comes from a novel written in the early 19th century (Walter Scott's Anna Geyerstein), and not from any ancient belief or experience. In fact, for most of history, opal was considered the most fortunate and magical of all gemstones because it can exhibit a play of almost all colors.
How is opal formed?
G. Smith wrote about the formation of the mineral:
“When hot underground waters with silica dissolved in them reach the surface, due to rapid cooling and evaporation, a gelatinous siliceous sediment with a variable water content falls out, which turns into a mineral known as opal.”
In northern Kazakhstan there are outcrops of unusual dendropal - milky white, with black inclusions of manganese oxide dendrites.
Dendropal
There are so many of us, we can’t count them all...
The planet gives birth to many varieties of opal. F. Leekhman counted 134 varieties of the mineral.
The entire variety of opals can be divided into: Noble and Ordinary.
Internal structure of Australian opals under an electron microscope, magnification 30,000 times (a – noble; b – ordinary opal)
Some opals have their own names. For example, girazole, harlequin, hydrofan.
In turn, a variety can have its own varieties.
For fire opal, for example, this is:
Fire opal
Pinfire opal
Cherry Opal
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
Mineralogists have their own classification of opals. And they (stones) can be divided according to their pattern, according to their internal structure.
Simple opals
These include:
- Cacholong. "Porcelain" variety. White color; may have grayish, yellowish, pinkish shades (we wrote more about this stone here).
- Dendritic opal. Essentially, it is a dead tree in which, by a quirk of nature, the organic component of the wood is replaced with a mineral one (silica). But the structure of the tree, down to the annual rings, remains unchanged.
- Wax opal. It has a yellowish-brown, orange-brown color.
- Hydrophane (water opal). "Come to life" in the water. A cloudy, opaque stone. If you put it in water, it absorbs moisture, acquires a play of color and shine.
Noble opals
Here are some of them.
- White opal. May be light gray or yellowish. Unlike cacholong, it is always iridescent.
- Hyalite (glass opal, Miller glass). Colorless, transparent. Outwardly it resembles glass covered with water drops.
- Girazole (jirasol). White, bluish or light blue. His “trick” is multi-colored lights flashing in the depths of the stone.
- Fire (golden) opal. Color from honey, amber to fiery orange. Always opalescent. A gem without opalescence is a simple opal.
- Black opal. Pure black specimens are extremely rare. These are mostly dark gray or dark blue stones.
- Harlequin. The most variegated, “opal-fair”. Features a mosaic of geometric multi-colored highlights.
Contra Luz Opal
They are amazingly beautiful and extremely rare. It is impossible to talk about their beauty - you need to see it, forgetting to breathe with delight. These are the famous “At the Bottom of the Pond”, “The Universe”, “Sunset in the Clouds”. These are pictures drawn by the first painter of the world - Nature.
Magical properties of opal
Sunset Fire Opal
Many cultures attribute supernatural origins and powers to opal. Arabian legends say that it falls from the sky in flashes of lightning. The ancient Greeks believed that opals gave their owners the gift of prophecy and protected them from disease. Europeans have long considered the gemstone a symbol of hope, purity and truth.
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According to ancient beliefs, opal is able to support the talents of its owner, and it does not matter whether they are directed for good or evil. Opal is an emotional stone that reflects the mood of the wearer. It enhances emotions and removes inhibitions. Encourages freedom and independence. Opal stimulates originality and creativity. Helps release anger and assert yourself, helping you find and express your true self.
This is a stone of deceptive hopes and illusions, secret passions, superstitions, a favorite stone of magicians and alchemists. Opals enhance intuition and promote inspiration. These amazing gems are believed to help one remember past lives. The magical properties are related to the color of the stone and since the colors of opal are very varied, so are its magical properties. For example, on the one hand, it can clarify the spirit and thoughts, on the other hand, it can encourage its owner to do stupid things.
What made Australian opals truly popular was Queen Victoria, who often wore black and favored the “black” variety of the stone.
Some people believed that opal was the stone of “vain hope,” while others believed that its sparkles cleared the mind, purified thoughts, and drove away fears. In the East, opal was considered a stone of faith and love, in Europe - a symbol of hope and happiness. According to the Delphic Oracle, opal is a symbol of impermanence, characteristic of beautiful women. Shakespeare also shared this opinion.
To enhance the magical properties of the stone, it should be set in a silver frame. Opal reaches its maximum power in October.
Properties
Opal, strictly speaking, is not a mineral, but an amorphous mineraloid. It does not have a crystal lattice. The body of the stone consists of microscopic globules (balls) of silica and water. The amount of water in opals is not constant and ranges from 1% to 30%. It depends on the “habitat”, on climatic conditions. In general, some opals absorb water, like a camel after a long walk.
