15/10/2026
This fascinating stone has been credited with supernatural powers and origins by many cultures. There are so many legends and superstitions about this gem. The ancient Greeks believed opals guarded them from disease and gave their wearers the gift of prophecy. In ancient Rome, it was considered the most precious and powerful of all. The Bedouins believed that opals contained lightning and fell from the sky during thunderstorms. In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose colour was represented in the colour spectrum of the opal.
Opal is known for its unique display of flashing rainbow colours called play-of-colour. There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-colour, common opal does not. Depending on the conditions in which it formed, opal may be transparent, translucent, or opaque and the background colour may be white, black, or nearly any colour of the visual spectrum. Black opal is considered to be the rarest, whereas white, grey, and green are the most common.
🔎 Opal is not the most durable stone and it is easily damaged, but it is impossible not to be seduced by its fantastic variety of patterns and colours. Because it is a soft stone, opal is an ideal choice for earrings and necklaces. Opal is sensitive to heat and chemicals; therefore, it requires extra care.
💎 Mohs Hardness: 5 - 6.5
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