The Ethiopian Opal - a combination of the beauty of all the precious stones!
After i wrote about Diamond, Alexandrite and Tanzanite in my previous blogs, today it's time for another amazing gemstone - The Ethiopian Opal!
Beautiful. Rare. Cherished. Ethiopian Opal is unique and is a miracle of time, place and change! Just to keep it simple Ethiopian Opal is the form of mineral silica, and it contains 3% to 21% of water in itself. The basic property of Ethiopian Opal is its structure, which is not crystalline, but is made up of hardened silica gel.
Fun Facts:
Queen Victoria’s favorite gemstone was Ethiopian Opal! She had Sapphires, Rubies and Diamonds from all over the British empire but fell in love with the intoxicating colors of Opals.
Opal has been found on Mars! It is one of only a handful of gemstones that have ever been discovered outside of our planet. As well it takes about 5 to 6 million years to make a 1 cm opal to mature.
Opallios is the Greek word for Opals meaning To see a change of color. The Roman word for Opal is Opalus meaning precious stone.
Opal Scandals:
Back in the early 1800s Opals had a bad reputation as ‘the evil stone’ and one that ’brings bad luck’ as result of Sir Walter Scott’s bestselling novel, Anne of Geuerstein, written in 1829. The story follows Lady Hermione, who is falsely accused of being a demoness, and dies shortly after a drop of holy water accidentally falls on her opal and destroys its color. Sir Walter Scott succeeded in destroying the European opal market for almost 50 years with no real merit. The rumors are that he has been paid by a very influenced group involved in the Diamond industry.
Thankfully, nearly 50 years later, in 1877, the black opal was found in South Wales, Australia, and the Opal market was finally revived. More recently the Ethiopian Opal was discovered, which took the world by storm! The play of colors and durability of Ethiopian Opal far surpasses Opal from other sources.
Birthstone:
Opal is considered the birthstone of October, but since the stone flashes hues of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple, it brings luck to those whose birthstone is the Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Topaz, or Amethyst. It is also the theme gift for the 14th and 18th wedding anniversaries.
Mythology:
The ancient Greeks believed that Opal came from the tears of Zeus, the God of lightning, after winning a battle against the Titans. His tears turned into opal when they landed upon earth.
Indians believed that opal was the ‘Goddess of Rainbows’ who turned herself into stone to escape the advances of the other gods.
Arabic lore holds that the stones fell from the sky in flashes of lightning, imbued forever with their fire from the fall.
The Romans believed that Opals were a combination of the beauty of all the precious stones (hence the variety of firing hues it possesses), and it is well documented in Roman history that Caesars gave their wives Opal for good luck.
Healing Powers:
For those who believe in the healing power of stones, the Opal is good for infections of the eye and diseases. The stone is said to have healing energies that can assist in relieving the constriction that you may experience in your heart or your chest. The wearer also enjoys the therapeutic power of the Ruby (the power to stop bleeding) and Emerald (the power to cure diseases) from the flashing Red and Green color in the Ethiopian Opal.
Romance:
Ethiopian Opal has always been connected to love and passion, as well as desire, lust, sexuality, and eroticism. It’s a highly seductive stone that will intensify your emotional state and encourage you to let go of your inhibitions through its firing color. It will invite you to try new things that will please both you and your partner. It was also referred to as the “Cupid Stone” because it suggested the clear complexion of the god of love.
A guiding force:
Ethiopian Opal is said to help you manifest your desires through positive affirmations, hard work, and dedication. It strengthens your survival instincts and lets you know when to remove yourself from a business or financial situation. It will put you on the right path with big decisions made between you and your loved ones. It will put you at the right place at the right time. It will show you how you can recognize opportunities that no one else can!
Note: All the photos that i used i have for a very long time as i used to write lectures and seminars for different cruise ships that i have been working on...
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Amazing article! I learned a lot just reading it. Thank you!
That's one gorgeous stone. MY grandmother used to have a ring with such an opal. I did not know it was Ethiopian. Thank you for this informative post!
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