Opal

FUN FACTS

Opal was believed to grant its wearer invisibility if wrapped in a bay leaf.

Because opals contain so much water within them, storing them in dry places for extended periods of time can severely damage the stone, a phenomenon known as ‘crazing’.

In the Middle Ages, blond women wore opal in the hopes of keeping their hair color intact.

SHOP NOW

SELECTION OF JEWELRY

1 25

Find Amazing Jewelry With Opal

SHOP NOW

Opal

ABOUT

Despite past negative associations, opal has come to symbolize good luck and act as a protector against harm. It is said to aid in productivity and stimulate glands that help control one’s behavior and improving one’s love life and finances. The most well-known opal is precious, which displays what is called ‘play of color’ created by the diffraction of light between silica spheres that lead to brilliant flashes of color. This is in stark contrast to common opal which is normally opaque but comes in a variety of colors including a brilliant orange. 

Opal

STORY

The origin of the stone’s name is up for debate. While many assume that it’s derived from the Sanskrit‘Upala’, others opine its origins in the name of the Roman Ops, the goddess of fertility. In antiquity, the rare stone was cherished because of its unique, rainbow-like appearance (second only to rubies) and has been included in the crown jewels of many European countries. In the 1800s, Sir Walter Scott’s novelAnne of Geiersteinturned the stone’s reputation from one of good luck to something wholly negative after killing off one of his characters who possessed an opal talisman, causing sales to crash and remain stagnant for 50 years. Until the 19th century revealed another source in Australia (now making up nearly 97% of the world’s supply) the only known place the opal could be found was in Cerevenica in modern day Slovakia.

GEMOLOGICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • FAMILY

    Opal Species

  • CHEMISTRY

    SiO2·nH2O

  • REFRACTIVE INDEX

    1.37 - 1.52

  • BIREFRINGENCE

    0

  • SPECIFIC GRAVITY

    1.98 - 2.50

  • HARDNESS

    5.5-6.5