The beautiful stone with the reflection of the rainbow. How is a rainbow captured in a little stone? As an opal lover myself, this is something I have pondered frequently. Since my actual birthstone is a diamond, there is an old wives-tale that says it is bad luck. Of course this is only superstitions and old myths, present science advises against this.

                Myths against opal are very wide-ranging, and of course very dated. These beliefs go back as far as the beginning of civilization; when jewels were not only a beautiful accessory, but help fight paranormal powers and average human idiocy. For example, aquamarine was thought to defend sailors, amethyst helped drunk people become sober, emeralds raised intelligence and rubies were good luck and made mean people more kindly.

                Sadly, opal does not have a repute for being as helpful as other stones. Crazy myths have been created about this beautiful, harmless stone to dishearten who are enticed to its splendor. This chauvinism is still present today in a few places in the world like the Middle East and the back of beyond Southern Europe. Jewelers will not have opal and people will not purchase it.

                As you already know, some stones were known for being amazing helpers, while others were known as a basin of evil. Opal has always been known as the worst of all the stones and gems. It was said that wizards and witches used the mysterious black opal was used to bring pain upon their enemies. Europeans from medieval times thought it resembled “the Evil Eye,” which were told to be like the organs of various animals with dark association. Opal that was the evilest was said to be able to maim or kill people. There aren’t many stories to prove this, but the belief is still very strong. It is as common as not stepping on cracks on a side walk, or seeing a black cat and having bad luck.

                On the other hand, there was a land where opal was cherished. This place was known as Rome. They got all their opal from brokers from the Middle East. They believed that the stone was the perfect mix of all the beauty of all of the stones. It is a well-known fact that Caesars gifted their wives opal to provide good luck. They saw opal as second to emerald and people kept it for good luck. This was because it reflected the rainbow, and it is seen as good luck.