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The Curse Of The Opal

Saturday, June 21, 2014

You hardly ever hear of an engagement ring designer specialising in opal rings nor of anyone looking for the perfect Opal stone for the centrepiece to their engagement band. The drawbacks and legends surrounding the Opal are so many and widespread that its hard to remember the mostly insignificant recognised facts that the stone improves eyesight and gives powers of prophecy if used for good.

The Opal gemstone has widely been associated with evil powers since the stories of olden day witches and wizards using them to charge their black magic began. Hungarian opal mines contributed to these superstitions surround the stone when a Roman Emperor was given an opal crown. The crown was said to represent his evil eye as it watched over Europe as he searched for a new place to invade and conquer. 

Despite the constant fear the opal conjured in the minds of many, some people attemtped to clear the stones name and started a counter legend. The counter folklore backfired and by convincing people that opals were the opposite of the evil and unholy stone they’d been made out to be a counter-counter folklore was able to form. The story continued to tell that the opal really was the epitome of evil and was able to reinforce just how unholy it was.

The opal saw a brief period of relief in the late nineteenth century when Queen Victoria brought the stone some popularity. Queen Victoria was known to wear opals in her jewellery throughout her reign of England as the black was worn during mourning.
It is of course true that opals did not get a bad press from everyone in history. The Romans did not think ill of the stone but instead they were the combination of all beautiful and precious stones. Roman Casesars were also known to give their wives opal stones as a symbol of good luck, to them the gem was representative of hope and purity.

The stone has fought to shake off rumours of its bad luck for years and has arguably had a tought life. Although in this modern day the belief has somewhat fallen away the superstition is still alive in some today. The theory is of course unprovable and it is up to you to make up your own mind but if the opal appeals to you, find yourself an engagement ring designer in the non-believers camp.

Whatever your opinions on the stone it’s superstituions and qualities have been debated and discussed for centuries. The stone is considered a gem and a beautiful one at that but if you believe in witches and curses it might be one to tell your engagement ring designer to avoid.
By: F and L
 

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