The History of Opal

Opal is regarded as one of five precious gemstones in the world, the other four being emerald, ruby, sapphire and diamond. Like a snowflake, each opal is unique.

Discovery and Beauty

This precious gem is believed to be discovered almost 4,000 years ago and a great number of myths and folklore around it are found in almost all cultures. Opal artifacts in Kenya date about 6,000 years back. Recent archaeological excavations have proved that Aztecs mined opal in Central and South America in the same period.

In Vedic or ancient India, the stone was referred to as a Goddess of Rainbow, who turned to stone. Ancient Arabs believed that opal fell from the sky and the colour play inside it is actually lightning. The Arabs believed that opal has the power to make its wearer invisible.

Opal was believed to have considerable healing powers in a number of world cultures, which persisted to the middle ages. In that time, the stone became known as the Opthalmius or the Eye Stone and many held the belief that it strengthened the eyesight.

Opal and Spain

There is a tale about opal that was very popular in 19th century Spain. The then Spanish emperor King Alfonso XII had been gifted a ring made of opal from an unforgiving Comtesse he had courted previously. The king presented the ring to the queen, his wife, who then died unexpectedly. The ring then passed from owner to owner who all died in mysterious ways. The king himself decided to wear it and he too died. The real reason was the cholera epidemic, but many believed that it was due to the bad effects of the opal ring. The whereabouts of that opal ring remain a mystery to this day.

Opal and Bad Luck

In the 19th century, opal acquired a reputation for bad luck. A number of theories have been cited as the cause, but most historians agree that the cause of all the misplaced notion can be traced back to the Sir Walter Scott authored novel “Anne of Geierstein” in 1829. The public read the first two volumes of the three volume book and mistakenly assumed that since the magic opal mentioned in the book discolours on being touched by holy water then the stone must be cursed. This wrong notion destroyed the sale of opal at that time and prices nearly halved in that period.

Role of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria did not believe that opals are the carriers of bad luck. She was a great lover of opals and wore them regularly and also gifted them to her daughters. The Queen has been credited with turning the perception of opal around and helping it regain popularity.