Opal - symbolism of the stone
Opal is a precious stone of wisdom and friendship. Because of the colors of the rainbow this stone is venerated as a symbol of hope. Opal is the stone of the Moon and Neptune; in the astrology it is associated with the month of October, the sign of Libra. The name of this mineral comes from Latin and literally means "jewel". In most cases, opal is colorless and has an opaque structure with impurities and dull colors. The sunlight has an extraordinary influence on opal, creating a play of colors. There are three types of opal: white opal, fire opal (a red stone) and black opal.
Opal, as well as other precious and semiprecious stones, has mystical properties.
The paradox of this stone is that, despite being a symbol of hope, it is considered an unlucky stone, for everyone who was born in October. There are many stories about the misfortunes and even about the death of people who wore this stone. For hundreds of years, opal had a bad reputation. It was considered a symbol of secret passion, illusive hopes and illusions. History tells us that King of England Edward VII because of fear has replaced the opals on his crown with the rubies. It is also stated that during Napoleon's exile the famous opal called “Fire of Troy” disappeared, it belonged to Josephine de Beauharnais, and according to the legend, was presumably lost in the air. Because of these items a lot of jewelry stores in Vienna have lost a lot of buyers at that time. In the XVII century, a series of large opals was in the treasury of Spanish kings. The royal family fell into disgrace: the heir died, a fleet of ships laden with gold sank, etc. To avoid further problems the beautiful opal was given to the clergy of the monastery of Almeida, and it was hung in front of Madonna.
It was believed that opal was a stone of sad people.
In addition, being a stone of visionaries and dreamers, who live in the world of illusions and unrealistic expectations, it is not certainly a stone that keeps our feet on the ground. Nervous people with an unstable character should not wear opal. It is believed that this stone brings the gift of prophecy to its possessor. Opal brings success and wealth only to a noble and strong man. For selfish people opal is a stone of evil that creates suspicion, causes conflicts, fears and nightmares. For a long period of time, superstitious people believed that opal was bad and therefore they didn’t wear it. However, in ancient times it represented different religious symbols, as well as the loyalty and security. In the East, there was great satisfaction to black opal. It protects from infectious diseases, soothes the nerves, restores visual acuity and brightness in the eyes. Opal can cure chronic diseases and it is used to treat heart diseases.
