Opal Birthstone for October

Iridescent, luminous opals are often known as ‘fire stones’, due to the flashes of stunning rainbow colours given off by fine examples. Much has been written about opals throughout history – ancient cultures conferred magical properties upon the stone, believing they aided wearers with seeing unlimited possibilities, and the Romans carried opals as symbols of luck, hope and purity, referring to them as ‘Cupid’s stone’ because they suggested the clear complexion of the god of love. Oriental cultures called opals ‘the anchor of hope’, while the ancient Greeks believed opals bestowed the powers of prophesy and foresight on their owners, and Shakespeare himself described the opal as ‘that miracle and queen of gems’. Opal is an amorphous non-crystalline variety of silica, and the opals used in jewellery usually have a milky base colour with flashes of colour. Black opals are the rarest and most expensive form of the stone, and the intensely coloured orange fire opal – found in Mexico – can be translucent almost to the point of transparency.