Mystical stone Fire Opal - useful properties of the stone, origin, history, buying tips

Opal is one of the mystical stones with which many myths and legends are associated. The magical brilliance of the fiery gem attracts the eyes of both sorcerers and jewelers.

History and origins

The history of opal dates back centuries; it has been known since the time of the ancient Indians. The Mayan and Aztec tribes made interior items for their homes from the mystical mineral. Opal was considered a symbol and patron of pure love. According to legend, the sacred bird of paradise gave opal to people.

After the seizure of the lands of America, the Spanish looting, the Aztecs flatly refused to reveal the secrets of the search for the sacred stone. Mining stopped for many years, well-known mines were closed and forgotten, new mining sites could not be discovered.

After a long break, the sacred stone began to be mined after 1835 on the territory of modern Mexico. In one of the uplands, a huge deposit was discovered with fire opals of incredible beauty.

Indians are not the only ones to revere opal. Ancient Rome, Greece, India - this is a small list of countries that considered opal a gift from the Gods.

The inhabitants of Australia have laid down a legend about the Creator, who descended to the people and left footprints on the earth. These were fire opals. The Greek version of the appearance of opal is also associated with Divine manifestation.Zeus, after the most important victory over the formidable titans, burst into tears - fiery tears poured onto the ground. These sacred tears fell into the hands of the people and were called opals. In Indian legends, the gem appeared when the goddess of the Rainbow ran away from numerous admirers and stumbled and fell. The body of the goddess crumbled and opals rained down on the ground. The Arabic legend about the appearance of opals on earth is associated with lightning.

In addition to its undoubted divine essence, the ancient stone has another meaning. Opal is considered a stone of discord. Clearly, this is shown in the legend of Troy, when one of the ancient inhabitants presented his wife with an opal. Later, the donated fire opal stone became the cause of an unheard-of event in antiquity - a divorce.

Opal Properties

Fire opals vary considerably in their transparency - after all, they contain a lot of water. Also, they have many unique properties - both physical and magical.

Physical Properties

According to its physical properties, opal is distinguished by its crystal lattice. It can infiltrate shells, mollusks, and other plant remains in animals to form fossils. Opals fill the space between rocks and connect with other stones.

Opalescence is considered a rare and very beautiful effect - the phenomenon of the radiance of a gem from the inside, which is scattered in different colors over the outer surface. If the stone is originally white, then the radiance can be white, blue, yellow or green. Fire opals have a greenish-brown luster.

The fact is that the mineral contains water, which can howl up to 13% in the composition. This makes the opal very transparent. If the stone is at least a little dull or cloudy, then the percentage of moisture in it is lower.In this case, the find automatically becomes semi-precious. The most rare are specimens with a higher percentage, in some cases reaching up to 30%.

The mineral owes its composition to such a rich palette of colors and illumination. Opals contain many oxides.

The chemical formula of the stone is SiO2 nH2O.

It may contain additional impurities, such as Fe2O3, MgO, CaO. The hardness of the stone starts at 5.5 and can reach 6.5. The density is quite low due to the presence of water - from 1.96 to 2.2 grams per cubic centimeter. Refraction is in the range from 1.44 to 1.46. The fracture of the stone is conchoidal, has a high brittleness. Cleavage is almost completely absent. The syngony of the stone is amorphous. Luster is highly variable and can be glassy or pearlescent, dull or greasy, even waxy. The transparency of the stone is from high to translucent through. The mineral can be completely dissolved in an alkaline environment. Prices for fire opals are high, so jewelry with it must be protected from chemicals.

Medicinal properties

The healing potential of fire opal is great and was noted, according to various sources, even in the 2nd century BC. It is believed that the mineral draws all diseases from the owner. For this reason, its healing effect is universal and can be used to treat any systems and parts of the body, including:

• The cardiovascular system
• Neurological diseases, including sleep disorders, stress and insomnia
• Mental disorders - post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, depression
• Vision problems, including eye pressure
• Digestive system and gastrointestinal tract

Helps improve the functioning of certain organs, such as the brain and lungs.

Tarnishing, changing the brilliance of the gem are a serious warning to the owner, a possible early manifestation of a serious illness. It is recommended to see a doctor for an examination. Also, opals were popular during plague epidemics in the Middle Ages. Today it is reasonable to use opal during seasonal diseases (spring, winter, autumn).

magical properties

The dual nature of the stone, consisting of purity on the one hand, contention on the other. At the same time, opal cannot be recommended to every person - with a strong will, opal will be a faithful assistant and support, and for the weak-willed it will turn out to be a series of problems and troubles. Noble opal subtly reacts to the owner's thoughts and intentions. He works like a magic wand - what is asked of him, he gives. It is important to be able to imagine what you want well. If you asked for good luck and victory, there will be both. It is worse if they ask for troubles and misfortunes, because this request is also fulfilled by a stone.

In addition to the basic properties of opal, clairvoyance is a separate item. Moreover, it is two-way, when you can see both events in the past and in the future. This is one of the main reasons for the popularity of the stone among sorcerers and magicians. Rituals aimed at establishing the true chain of events or searching for information in the future and past very often include opal.

The protective magical properties of opal are also on top. Fire opal practically does not limit magical properties in terms of protection. Its versatility is impressive - the mineral absorbs everything from the evil eye, curses, damage to evil gossip, envious intrigues.

For a home, opal will also be an indispensable protection against thieves and marauders. And if the stone has become an interior item, protection also affects the elements.

The impact on humans is also great.Opal is able to reveal talents and magical gifts, inspire and help creativity.

In family life, opal will help to avoid serious problems - such as betrayal, breaks, major quarrels.

With severe grief, the loss of a loved one, opal will also be the best helper. In this case, stones in a silver frame are recommended.

The reverse side of the opal appears when the stone falls into the hands of passive, weak-willed people who love peace and stability. For them, the fiery stone will become a source of problems, stir up their usual way of life. Not everyone can cope with such drastic changes - you will have to tame the character of the ancient gem. Only if this is done, the stone will become a faithful assistant.

In magical practices, it is strictly forbidden to use any opal settings other than gold and silver.

And it's not that orange goes well with them. It is these metals that are able to interact harmoniously with opal and increase the strength of the stone.

Place of Birth

Opal deposits are found all over the world, but the largest are in Australia (including red opals). It is here that most of the precious minerals are mined. Only Mexico can compete with local mines. Mexican examples of fire opal are considered the most beautiful and largest. The largest fire opal was found here and amounted to 143.2 carats.

Other mining sites include:

• Czech Republic
• USA
• Russia
• Kazakhstan
• Turkey
• Brazil

Conclusion and purchase advice

Buying fire opal jewelry won't help with a photo, keep in mind their radiance effects, which are not visible in the picture. Consider the high cost of the mineral.The point here is not only magical qualities, just a stone is very difficult to process. Master jewelers must be able to work perfectly with it to create a beautiful expensive piece of jewelry.

For example, a pendant with a silver frame can cost 17-40 thousand. The gold frame increases the cost significantly, raising the lower threshold to 58 thousand, and the upper to 170.

Ordinary earrings in a silver frame start from 50 thousand rubles, while gold ones can cost up to 500.

Silver opal rings cost from 18 thousand, and gold ones from 50.

Photo stone Fire Opal