October Opal's Fiery Heart Sparkles Warmly at Yuletide

I have a decided weakness for opals. That mysterious fire, glinting from the heart of the stone is irresistible - flashes of scintillating red, electric blue, emerald green, and even a few glints of pearly gold. Precious and rare, opals have captured the imagination from ancient times.

As old as the earth itself, and more expensive than the finest diamonds, many of the world's opals were formed in the once-vast inland seas of the Australian continent, the silica deposits forming to create the lovely gems we enjoy today.

Though the ancients considered opals to be a lucky gemstone, all it took was one tale - Sir Walter Scott's "Anna of Geierstein " - to capture the popular imagination, and turn our perception of the magnificant opal from a symbol of good fortune and purity to into an unlucky gem.

The birthstone of October was considered a lucky stone for centuries. The Ancient Romans believed that wearing an opal brought good luck and protected from disease. The opal, symbol of hope and purity, was said to confer the gift of prophesy, warn of poison, and bring good fortune to anyone lucky enough to possess the gemstone.

Early Greeks believed that opals gave the wearer the power of foresight and prophesy. Even earlier races used the opal to bring clarity by exposing buried emotions and desires. Many credited the opal with magical powers that conferred the ability to see the future.

According to some ancient Chinese traditions, the recipient of an opal must be pure of heart. In a number of Asian cultures, opals are symbols of hope and loyalty.

Opals have been used in healing tonics or to stave off nightmares. They have been used in rituals to enhance the wearer's power and attract money. Opals have been used to as an aid aid in past life regression. It is believed that gazing into the depths of the opal's shimmering heart will reveal the past

It has long been said that opals will bring misfortune upon any who try to use it’s power for evil or selfish purposes.

The opal was also once believed to be the stone of love, but only to faithful lovers, and a bringer of misfortune to an unfaithful love. If an opal is given as a sign of love or for luck, the breaking of that stone is regarded as a bad omen.

More than ninety per cent of the world's opals are mined in Australia, with the remaining ten per cent coming from Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, Nevada and Idaho. All black opals are mined exclusively in Australia.

Opals are often found near the earth's surface, relatively speaking, where ancient geothermal hot springs once flowed. The minerals bubbled up from beneath the surface of the earth and slowly, over the centuries, lined the walls of cracks, vents and underground cavities in the bedrock.Over the centuries, these hot springs gradually dried up and disappeared, leaving behind the minerals which became opals.

Opal is formed of a silica, similar to quartz, but containing water within its mineral structure. Precious opal usually contains 6-10% water, in small silica spheres arranged in a regular pattern. The spectacular colors are created when light rays hit these spheres.

Small spheres produce opals of blue color, but larger spheres produce the entire spectrum of colors, depending on the angle of light hitting the opal's surface. Rotating the stone can cause the colors to vanish or change.

The black opal is the most rare of all opals and is mined only in Australia. Their rarity and quality makes them the most costly of all the types of opals. Often purchased as investments, these gems are treasured above all other opals.

Their color can range from dark grey to deep black, and is caused by the presence of traces of carbon and iron oxide in the opal forming silica. This dark background is the perfect backdrop for the amazing play of colors for which this gemstone is known.

Boulder opals are not a valuable as black opals, though once set, they display just as amazing variations and intensity of color as the black opal. Boulder opals are formed by silicates seeping into cracks in the ironstone boulders that are found in Queensland, Australia.

Because boulder opals are formed in very thin layers, they are cut out together with the ironstone as a backing. This give them a dark body tone that is very similar to black opals.

At first glance, boulder opals can be mistaken for doublet opals, however, the backing on a boulder opal is completely natural, and the cost will be considerably higher.

Doublet and triplet opals are created by placing a thin layer of opal, usually black opal, over a man-made matrix. The black matrix layer stabilizes the thin layer of opal stone.

In addition to a man-made backing of a doublet opal, the triplet opal also has a layer of crystal, usually in a domed shape, over the stone.

White opals, or milk opals, are much more common than either black and boulder opals. Their body tone is white or very light, causing the play of colors to appear less bright.

This lack of color causes these opals to be less valuable than their black cousins, but a solid white opal will certainly fetch more of a price than any doublet or triplet stone.

The fire opal is actually a variety of white opal which has a translucent red or orange backgroundl.

The structure of synthetic opals is very similar to the structure of genuine, precious opals. Synthetic opals contain roughly &0% - 75% silica, which is impregnated with plastic.

They display a distinctive snakeskin pattern and brighter colors than natural opals. As well, the spots of color are generally larger, but they interact with light in a manner similar to natural opals.

Opals are relatively fragile, and must be protected from heat and detergents that could damage the gemstones.

Always remove your opal jewelry before doing household tasks, especially washing dishes or cleaning chores.

Opals develop clouding, and crazing if they are exposed to extremes of heat or cold, so always protect your hands with gloves in the winter time. A sudden temperature change can actually crack your opal stone.

To clean your opal jewelry, simply wipe it with a clean, soft dry cloth such as silk or cotton.

Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, chemicals, or toothpaste (which is an abrasive substance) when cleaning opal jewelry, and avoid immersing your opal jewelry in water.

If you must clean the setting of your opal, gently rub it with a soft cloth and mild hand-soap, in lukewarm water, taking care to avoid prolonged immersion of the stone.

My mother, whose name and birthstone were both "Opal", had a lovely black opal ring that she cherished. She always took great care to take it off before doing the dishes, and never wore it out of the house in wintertime.

She claimed that it was unlucky to wear an opal if you were not born in October. She always maintained that opals were twice-lucky for her, because she was named for them. I love opals, though, and have had several lovely stones over the years. I have always enjoyed wearing them, as I enjoy any other beautiful gem. They are not unlucky to me - they remind me of my mother.

© 2010, Text by Elle Fredine, All rights reserved