Opal

from the Antique Jewelry University


Art Nouveau ring set with a black opal
Art Nouveau ring set with a black opal

Opal is an amorphous hydrous silica. Some varieties display vivid colors in what gemologists refer to as play-of-color. White and black opal and some orange opal exhibit this phenomena. A transparent variety referred to as fire opal and opaque opal of many colors generally do not exhibit play-of-color.


” The Countess of Waldstetten made anxious signs to him while he spoke thus; and when the crowd permitted her to approach near him, she was heard to whisper, "0, be not rash! try no experiment I there is something mysterious about that opal talisman; be prudent, and let the matter pass by."

The Baron, who was in a more towering passion than well became the wisdom to which be made pretence -- although it will be perhaps allowed that an affront so public, and in such a time and place, was enough to shake the prudence of the most staid, and the philosophy of the most wise-answered sternly and briefly, "Are you, too, such a fool? " and retained his purpose. [1]

”


Opal Lore and Legend

It is the birthstone for those lucky enough to be born in the month of October. It’s the official stone of the Commonwealth of Australia and its state of South Australia, and of one of the United States – Nevada. It was slandered by unscrupulous diamond merchants fearful of the competition this exquisite stone would bring to the jewelry market. It has been vilified – perhaps somewhat unintentionally – in literature. It is also a stone that at various points in its history has been in desperate need of a good PR firm. It is the opal.

The history of the opal starts off innocently enough. In early civilization, opals were given powers of a positive nature. For example, many believed that opals had a magical quality to enhance the wearer’s farsightedness. Feelings and emotions amplified and clarified, inhibitions lessened, and spontaneity enhanced were some of the other “powers” bestowed upon the opal. The Greeks imbued opals with qualities of prophecy and the Arabians thought opals came to earth in flashes of lightning. The Romans believed the opal to be a combination of all the beauty of all precious stones rolled into one. A favorite gift of the Ceasers to their wives, opal was given as a token of hope, purity and good luck. Perhaps it was a Roman Senator named Nonius who really sealed Cleopatra’s fate with a certain asp when he refused to sell his beautiful opal to Mark Anthony, who in turn wanted to give it as a present to the Egyptian queen. Nonius so believed in the powers of his opal that he preferred exile to bowing to Mark Anthony’s demands that he separate himself from his lucky stone.

By the Middle Ages opals were mined in Hungary and were still generally regarded as a positive talisman. Blond women wore them as a guardian of the beautiful color of their hair. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the opal was regarded as a stone with as many positive virtues as it had hues and colors. Shakespeare used the opal in the “Twelfth Night” when the clown says to the Duke “Now the melancholy God protect thee, and the Tailor make thy garment of changeable taffeta, for thy mind is very opal.”

The first hint of the public’s change in attitude toward the opal started in the Sixteenth century. It was the beginning of a period of great superstition among the masses. Yet, this change in social behavior initially did little to alter the perception of the opal, with its owners still believing that - since opals were so beautiful - they could only bring joy and good fortune.

All that changed in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Times were trying and people were looking for a scapegoat for all the pestilence and famine happening in the world -- including the spread of the Black Plague. Someone came up with the bright idea that it had to be the fault of the opals. The idea spread like a disease – so to speak – and the poor opal’s fate was sealed, thus beginning its descent into unpopularity.

Another possible source for the negative reputation of the opal could have been based in the challenges faced by jewelers in fashioning and setting the stones. Because of its very brittle nature, opals were – and still are - difficult to cut and tricky to set. Louis XI of France once ordered his stunned jeweler’s hands cut off as punishment for the accidental destruction of a royal opal. No wonder jewelers thought the stones were unlucky! Ignoring the trend of the time was Napoleon Bonaparte who, during his reign, had opals set in the Crown jewels of France. Whether this decision had anything to do with his fate later at the battle of Waterloo is open to debate.

Victorian bracelet set with white opals, ca. 1850
Victorian bracelet set with white opals, ca. 1850

Superstitions and bad luck tales regarding opals may also owe its roots to a literary classic. In his novel “Anne of Geierstein” (1829), Sir Walter Scott wrote that the enchanted Baroness character named Hermione always wore an opal in her hair. This opal is said to have reflected the moods of the wearer; sparkling when she was happy, showing red when she was angry and dull when sprinkled with holy water. The fate of the Baroness was a broken spell, the end of her enchantment and the reduction of Hermione to a pile of ashes. The popularity of this book sunk the reputation of opals to new lows for decades to come. Ironically, it was the opal’s own traits that assisted in reinforcing its negative reputation. For what other gem could possibly display the required colors and sensitivity to moisture required for the plot of Sir Scott’s novel but an opal? Authorities on the subject have concluded that Sir Walter Scott meant no harm to the opal and in fact careful reading of the story shows no representation of the opal, per se, as unlucky. The opal reflected - not dictated - the mood of the wearer (Hermione of Arnheim).[2]

Not everyone subscribed to the negative view of opals that was being espoused in the nineteenth century. A lover of opals, Queen Victoria made certain that all her subjects knew she did not subscribe to the rumors and superstitions surrounding the stones. Proving her point, she wore and collected opals throughout her epic reign. Because of Queen Victoria’s example, the opal was able to re-establish its popularity with the public from 1850 onwards (after the discovery of the opal mines in Australia in the 1840's).

The whole unlucky opal movement took on an even more bizarre twist when, in 1900, black opals were discovered. Someone – probably a person possessing a lot of black opals - perpetuated the logic that while white opals were bad luck, black opals were lucky. Enter the diamond dealers who, fearing the popularity of the black opal, sent their PR machine into overdrive spreading the word that these black opals were very, very bad luck, too.

In the twentieth century opals regained some of their popularity as accent stones in Art Deco jewelry, as birthstone jewelry and, in mid to late twentieth century, in art jewelry. However, habits die hard for in certain areas of Europe and the Middle East where there are still some jewelers who to this day will not sell opals – and there are also customers who will not buy them.

Mining Sources

The oldest sources for opals were the mines located in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Dating as far back as to Roman times these mines produced stones historically attributed as Hungarian opals due to the overlapping of borders during that time period. Opals continued to be mined in these areas until 1922 when a combination of declining production and the popularity of Australian opals ended the Czech Republic’s reign as the world’s opal producer. Today there remains only recreational mining in this region.

Currently, 97% of the world’s opal comes from Australia. 60% of Australian opal is white opal, 8% is black opal and the remainder is crystal and bolder opal.

According to the United States Geological Survey there are many sources where opal is mined in the United States.

• Arizona – produces precious blue opal with strong play-of-color.
• Idaho – produces precious white and pink and pink, yellow blue and common opal. Opal occurs in thin layers and seams and only 10% is thick enough for solid gems, the rest is manufactured as doublets and triplets.
• Louisiana – opal matrix or cement within a sandstone/quartizite mix. Often cut into large spheres and displaying blue and purple play-of-color.
• Nevada – precious opal has been mined in the Virgin Valley for over a century. This opal occurs primarily as a replacement of wood or conifer cones. The material is very brittle and crazes easily. Usually found as specimens displayed in liquid.
• Oregon – fine quality gem material including hyalite, rainbow, contra luz, hydrophane, crystal, fire, blue, and dendritic. Opal is found in rhyolite geodes (thundereggs). Of these geodes only about 10% of the total geodes contain opal and of those only 1% contain gem-quality opal with play-of-color. The other geodes contain agate, quartz crystals, or common opal.
Gemological information for opal
ColorColorless, white, black, orange, yellow
Crystal structureAmorph
Refractive index1.43-1.47
DurabilityRelatively poor
Hardness5.5-6
Similar stonesOpal can be confused with glasses and some plastics. Labradorite feldspar and ammolite can be confused for opal due to their play of color.
TreatmentsFracture filling, synthetics.
Country of originAustralia, Mexico
Opal care
Ultrasonic cleaningNot safe
Steam cleaningNot safe
Warm soapy waterSafe
Chemical attackAvoid
Light sensitivityStable
Heat sensitivityMay crack

Notes

  1. ↑ Sir Walter Scott, Anne of Geierstein
  2. ↑ Si Frazier

Sources Consulted

  • Eckert, Allan W. The World of Opals. John Weley and Sons, 1997. Pp. 282-283.
  • Kunz, George Frederick. The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. Bell Publishing Company: New York, 1989. Pp143-152.
  • Scott, Sir Walter. Anne of Geierstein, 1829.
  • Frazier, Si. Opal: Lore, Lies and Misinformation. Lapidary journal, 1994, June, Vol. 48 No. 3.
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