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Sparkling Tales, Deadly Gems (Part II)

© Anita Stratos

Opals must be the ultimate good news/bad news stone. It would appear as if they have a split personality, if you believe the myth stating that opals work in positive ways for people with October birthdays and negatively for others. In fact, there are almost as many legends and myths about opals as there are colors in these magnificent stones.

Opals had been considered good luck stones for centuries, until a popular author demeaned them in a story. Two stories written by two different authors have been blamed for this inequity: many people say it was one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels in which opals were deemed to be bad luck; others point an accusatory finger at Sir Walter Scott's "Ann of Geirstein" in which the main character buys a cursed opal which she wears in her hair - later she dies. The two novels were written almost a century apart, but those who believe Doyle's story was to blame say that at the time of his novel, the growing popularity of opals threatened the incomes of diamond merchants, so these merchants latched on to Doyle's story and created fearsome legends designed to scare people away from the precious gem.

Another theory is that the opal took on an aura of negativity because of its fragile nature. Certain opals can crack easily, so if an opal was given as a sign or love or for luck, its breaking was regarded as a bad omen. There is a bit of folklore suggesting plague victims were found wearing shattered opals, but this tale never found a place in history, nor does anyone know how it was started.

Shakespeare called opals "The Queen of Gems". Its name is derived from the Sanskrit upala, meaning precious stone, the Latin opalus and the Greek opallios, which means "to see a color change". Indeed, to look into an opal and see the vibrant, shifting colors of a rainbow is a singular experience. Perhaps this unique quality is why some say that gazing into the depths of an opal will reduce stress and improve eyesight, which made the stone popular in the Middle Ages.

In ancient Rome opals were highly valued; they called the stone Cupid Paederos, meaning "a child beautiful as love". Romans believed opals instilled the gift of prophecy, warned of poison, brought good fortune, and protected against disease. One legend states that when Mark Antony attempted to buy a famous opal for his love Cleopatra, the stone's owner refused to sell it to him. There are two ends to this tale, one contending that the owner fled from Rome rather than part with his opal, the other says the owner was a senator who ended up being outlawed by Antony.

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