Silver Opal Necklace are the stuff of legend! These beautiful gemstones have been popular since ancient times thanks to their beautiful play of colour and their opalescence, but these stones have also had the reputation of being unlucky. So why is this? I want to explain a little bit more about this delightful gemstone, a particular favourite of mine!
Even the name refers to beauty, since it means 'precious stone' and comes from Latin 'Opalus', or the Sanskrit 'upalas'. It is the birthstone for people born in October. It also appears as a Zodiac stone for those born under Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio, and is the stone for the 13th wedding anniversary. Depends whether you consider the number 13 to be unlucky, I suppose!
The majority of quality opals are mined in Australia. Opals are formed from liquid silica which flowed into a gap or cavity and cooled, thus resulting in some very unusual shapes, such as wood, seashells and even dinosaur bones! This also means that opals have comparatively high water content, around 10%. For this reason they should never be allowed to dry out. Be especially careful with central heating radiators, or direct sun. I find it's best to keep them in a jewellery box or case when not being worn. Detergents can also affect them so don't do the washing up while wearing them! Not all opal is gem quality however, but the ones that are often need to be treated in order to make them more attractive and also to protect them from drying out. Opal stones can be manmade (either synthesized or altered in some way) and thus one can find many types of opal which are artificially produced. Therefore you need to be careful when selecting opal stone jewellery. The man made opals are sometimes called doublets or triplets. A doublet is a paper thin slice of genuine opal glued on a black backing, for example a piece of black onyx stone. Triplets are essentially doublets with a transparent glass, or quartz capping, and a plastic or stone back. A double opal is more valuable than a triplet because it contains more of the stone. Triplets are good because they are cheaper than a full stone while looking very attractive for a fraction of the cost. They are best found in rings, bracelets and necklaces. Silver necklaces seem to suit it best. Costume jewellery often contains triplets.
Opal is a stone of protection, faithfulness and loyalty. It is said that it can enhance super sensible vision and creativity. They are mystical gemstones of high vibrations. As such, they can have a wide spectrum of application on the physical as well as on the higher levels of existence. Some say that opal is able to absorb thoughts and feelings, to enhance them, and sent them back to the source. It is connected with the eye.
Mostly due to superstition, opal was considered bad luck. It was believed that opal can grant its bearer a power of invisibility - therefore it gained a bad reputation as an amulet for thieves. In Medieval times opal was generally disliked due to its similarities to the eyes of some "evil" animals. Thus, this beautiful stone used to provoke fear of the "Evil Eye". Yet others, like the Romans for example, considered that it granted protection from it, so make of that what you like! In my view, it seems a shame to let superstition prevent you from enjoying this lovely stone, so why not take a look at my website,for some beautiful examples on sale from selected retailers.
