October brings the fiery colors of fall. How appropriate that the birthstone for October is a stone that is all about flashes of color. Opal, one of nature’s most prized gems, is revered for its spectacular “play of color” and opalescence. Opals dance with brilliant multi-colors that seem to glow from within and they often exhibits an iridescent shimmer.

Pure Opal

Opal is made from sand and water. The Romans called it cupid paederos (child as beautiful as love) and believed opal was the symbol of hope and purity. The Arabs believed that opals fell from heaven in flashes of lightning. Ancient Greeks believed opal could help its owner to see the future and predict prophecy.

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile is said to have worn an opal to attract the attention of Mark Anthony. They say that opals help you to develop inner beauty, although it probably was not Cleopatra’s inner beauty that Mark Anthony was looking at! If you enjoy the feeling of déjà vu, you might want to buy an opal. Many believed that opal could assist in recalling past lives.

Opals in your Hair

The mystical opal has inspired some of the world’s great writers as well. They are referred to in both the plays of William Shakespeare and the novels of Sir Walter Scott. There is even lore that provides an important beauty tip … according to the ancient Scandinavian women, an opal worn in your hair could help prevent it from going gray! Early Arab civilizations thought opals could grant them invisibility… Who needs Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak!?

Choices!

If you are an opal girl, you have a variety of choices for your opal look. White opal is the most well known, but it also forms in black or “boulder” opal; water or crystal opal, which is more transparent; and fire opal, which forms in shades of orange. Opal jewelry is sure to help you display the fire and mystery in your personal style!

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Tags: birthstone, black opal, Cleopatra, crystal opal, cupid paederos, fire opal, gems, Mark Anthony, Opal jewelry, Queen of the Nile, Sir Walter Scott, White opal, William Shakespeare

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 8:52 pm and is filed under Birthstones. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.