Opal - The Birthstone of October

Opal is said to enhance insight and dispels fear, and is known as being the birthstone of October. Opal is also given to as a 14th wedding anniversary present. Opal gets it name from the Greek work “opallus” which means to see a change in colour. This is obvious because opal has the ability to reflect wavelengths of light for a beautiful vision. There are more than a dozen different colours of opals.

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Opals are mined from deposits located mainly in Southern Australia, but there are still areas where you can find small amounts such as Mexico, Nevada, Brazil, and Czechoslovakia.

Opal is actually a non crystallized silica which is a mineral found near the earth’s surface in the areas where ancient hot springs once were. Roman’s referred to this gemstone as “Cupid Paederos,” which means a child as beautiful as love. The Romans also believed that opals fell to earth from the heavens in a flash of lightening.

On crowns opals symbolize hope and purity for ages. Ever since the 14th century there have been several cultures that have thought that this stone was an Eye Stone which watches over royal families. They thought that the opal was the king of all gems because it has the variety of all the colours in the rainbow.

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You can purchase a black opal which has a dark body hue compared to most other opals, a white opal also referred to as a milky opal, a boulder opal which is very dark and magnificent in colour, the crystal opal which has a transparent or semi transparent body tone and include forms of black and white crystal, and finally the fire opal which is an American name meaning an opal that has a specific red hue.

It doesn’t matter which colour of opal you purchase just make sure you know what the hue symbolizes.

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