Birthstones - Opal

Fireworks and Rainbows

Unlike any other gemstone, opal dazzles the eye with a spectral display of flashing and dancing colors – colors that move and shift within the opal’s mysterious depths. A Roman historian in the first century AD wrote, “There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green of the emerald – all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulfur or of fire quickened by oil.” Opal offers the wearer a wider variety of appearances and color choices than any other gem.

Possess all the Virtues

In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal.

However, modern superstition attributes bad luck to the stone, though some believe this is avoided if opal is the owner's birthstone (that is, the owner was born in October) or if the stone is a gift.