With a breezy chill filling the air as leaves dance in the wind, October means the beginning of fall, and, for October babies, it means brilliant shimmering opals.

The name “opal” comes from the Latin word “opalus,” meaning precious jewel. The opal is also known for its unique ability to refract and retract light, showing all the colors of the rainbows in specific wavelengths of light. This diffraction of light found in opals is considered a color-play property and is known by gem experts to be a gem phenomenon.

Because the opal contains every color found in the rainbow, one legend of the opal’s origin is that it fell from heaven in a fiery flash of lightning. Ancient monarchs believed the gemstone had protective powers and would have the stone set in crowns and necklaces to ward off evil and protect eyesight. Ancient Romans believed the opal was a sign of loyalty and hope, and to dream of opals was a prediction that opportunities were soon coming.

Opals have also been thought of as a symbol of innocence and purity. With flashes of multi-colored sparkles when moved at different angles, the opal is a beautiful and delicate stone that would add a cascading shimmer to any outfit you wear.

Opals are known to have a light or dark body color that can be either transparent or translucent. They are made from a non-crystallized silica, which is a mineral found near the earth’s surface where there had once been geothermal hot springs. When the hot springs dried up the silica, combined with water, were deposited into cracks and cavities of the bedrock, which then formed the opal gemstone. Opal has even been found inside wood that has been fossilized.

When caring for your opal, since the stone contains up to 30 percent water it must be kept away from harsh chemicals and heat, which could cause drying that could lead to cracking and a loss of iridescent sheen. It is actually recommended to occasionally soak your opal in water to keep the stone moist and avoid any cracking in the gemstone. You also need to be gentle with the opal when wearing it because it is a relatively soft stone and can break easily. Opals are often set in a manner that lends protection to the delicate jewel.

Most of the world’s opals are found in Southern Australia; Lightning Ridge, a mining town found ten hours northwest of Sydney, is generally considered the largest opal-bearing site in the world. Other opal sources are found in Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, and Nevada.

It is said that the gift of an opal is symbolic of faithfulness and confidence – and that sounds like the perfect October birthday gift.

Tags: brilliant shimmering opals, caring for your opal, delicate jewel, delicate stone, dream of opals, gem experts, gem phenomenon, gemstone, necklaces, opal gemstone, opal sources, precious jewel, soak your opal, soft stone, the opal

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 3:29 am and is filed under Birthstones, Gemstones. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.