Keywords:
Purification, Healing, Calming, Emotional Protection
Birthstone:
Opal along with tourmaline are birthstones for the month of October
Wedding anniversary:
Opal is the anniversary gemstone for the 14th and 18th years of marriage
Affirmation:
I become aware of my emotions and their sources and I release them into the light.
Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock. The water content in Opals is usually between three and ten percent, but can be as high as twenty percent.
The stone is fundamentally colorless but such material is rarely found. Colours range from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the reds against black are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common.
Opal is found in a number of varieties: Common Opal, White Precious Opal, Black Precious Opal, Fire Opal, Oregon Opal and Owyhee Opal. Black opal, with a very dark gray or blue to black body color, is particularly rare and highly prized. White opal has light body colors and is the most widely used in jewellery . Fire opal is characterized by yellow, orange, or red body color. White and Fire opals are much more common. Oregon Opal mined in Opal Butte, Oregon is clear and often has a bluish tinge which sometimes displays flashes of pink or yellow within after it has been faceted. Owyhee Blue Opal is a new variety of opal discovered in Oregon in 2003 and is characterized by a rich blue shade.
The most striking quality of opal is its ability to refract and reflect specific wavelengths of light. The interplay of different wavelengths of light gives opal its unique visual appeal, and makes it one of the most sought-after gemstones in the world at all times.
Precious opal has been a gemstone since Roman times. Opal was included among the noble gems and was ranked second only to emerald by the Romans. Most opal is more than 60 million years old and generally dates back to the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Most of the precious opal marketed in ancient times was obtained from occurrences in what is now Slovakia.
Most opal is found where geothermal hot springs dried up during seasonal periods of rainfall and extended dry periods. More than 90% of the world’s quality gem opals come from Southern Australia, although it can be found in other parts of the world such as Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia and USA (Nevada and Idaho). All superb black stones have been obtained from the Lightning Ridge field, New South Wales, Australia. Deposits of White Opal are found in Japan and Fire opal in Mexico and Honduras.
Black opal is regarded as an extremely lucky stone. In ancient times opal was accepted as a symbol of faithfulness and confidence. It has reputed healing properties, especially to increase mental capacities such as creative imagination. Black opals worn near the heart on necklaces made of gold are said to protect one from the evil eye and protect travelers on journeys to far away lands. Opals have been ground up and used in magic potions to heal the body, ward off bad dreams, and used an energy enhancement tools.