AL / Jewelry Style by Ana Luisa Jewelry
AL / Jewelry Style by Ana Luisa Jewelry

6 Fascinating Facts about the Opal Necklace

opal necklace
Ruxandra by : Ruxandra 8753 views

With its amazing color play, the opal is, arguably, the most spectacular gem. An opal necklace looks as if it’s glowing in tens of different colors from your neck. And while there is a lot of information about the opal out there, we bet there are still some things that you don’t know. So read on to discover how to buy fashion necklaces and find our six fascinating facts about the opal.

What is an opal?

Due to the fact that the opal features the color of all the other gems, the Romans used to believe it was the most powerful gemstone. This gem is hydrated silica that forms mostly in desert regions when the seasonal rains drench the ground. The water reaches the ancient underground rock carrying with it dissolved silica (sand). When the seasonal rains stop and the dry period begins, the water evaporates leaving the silica behind, inside the cracks of the rocks. This is how opal forms.

But enough with the chemistry lessons. You are here to find out why an opal necklace is a unique addition to your jewelry collection. So keep on reading to discover the fascinating facts you didn’t know about this spectacular gemstone.

  1. An opal necklace features the most unique and diverse gem

That’s right, there is no other gemstone more diverse than the opal. In fact, there are only rare varieties of other gems that display more than one color. Whereas the opal features all of them. This is why some people also call is the rainbow gem. When you are wearing an opal necklace, you really don’t have to worry about matching it with the colors of your outfit. Regardless of what colors you are wearing, chances are that your opal necklace will display some of them.

birthstone necklace october

  1. It takes 5 millions of years to form

Many gems require a lot of time to form, but the opal is special in this regard. From the moment that the raining season stops and the water evaporates, it takes 5 million years for a single centimeter of opal to solidify. You don’t need to do the math to understand that your opal necklace features an ancient gem.

Approximately 95% of the world’s opals come from the desert regions of Australia, but people mine them in Mexico, Ethiopia, and Brazil as well.

  1. There is still water inside your opal necklace

You may not be able to see it with the naked eye, but each opal contains between 5% and 20% water. This contributes to its amazing color play. However, this doesn’t mean that your opal necklace is okay with being soaked in water. We don’t recommend you do that. When cleaning it, just wipe it with a damp soft microfiber cloth. Also, avoid wearing your opal necklace when you go for a swim or take a shower.

  1. Opals falling from the sky

Naturally, because of its distinctive look, the opal gave birth to many legends. Many cultures believed it has supernatural powers and that it was of supernatural origins. For example, the Romans were certain that the opal has the power to offer hope and make people fall in love. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks believed wearing an opal necklace granted you the gift of prophecy and guarded you against disease. However, our favorite one comes from the Arabic people. According to ancient Arabic legends, the opals fall from the sky in flashes of lightning.  All the lore built around this gem makes it even more desirable.

  1. The superstition that the opal is unlucky comes from a book

Just like vampires come from Bram Stocker’s Dracula, the belief that an opal necklace brings bad luck comes from Sir Walter Scott’s Anne of Geierstein. Long story short, in this novel, the princess wears an opal that sparkles beautifully when she is feeling good but turns red when she is not. After being sprinkled with Holy Water, the opal loses its luster and the princess falls ill. This is how the superstition was born. But, truth be told, if somebody ruined your opal necklace you will probably fall ill too, wouldn’t you?

Joke aside, wearing an opal necklace doesn’t mean inviting bad luck in. Sure, it may raise the envy of other people, but that’s a completely different story.

opal necklace

  1. Opal is the birthstone of October

If you are born in October, then you have to get an opal necklace. Wearing your birthstone is a beautiful idea that offers you the feeling of personalized jewelry. This applies to presents as well. If a loved one is born in October, an opal necklace may be just the right gift for them. Just wrap it in a nice box and offer it along with a beautifully written note.

opal necklace

And even if you aren’t born in October, you should still get an opal necklace. With its astonishing unique color play, this gem is a favorite of jewelry designers and you can find it featured in many spectacular creations.

If you enjoyed discovering the opal necklace and want to get your own, then visit Ana Luisa online jewelry shop. Check out our unique birthstone jewelry collection to get an opal necklace or discover our other opal creation in our fine necklaces collection. To find out more interesting facts about jewelry, just use the search box on this blog and access the information you need.


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Ruxandra

Ruxandra
Ruxandra is a fashion blogger who teaches fashion stumped twenty to thirty somethings how to shop their jewelry boxes for polished new ensembles. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Fashionista, Nylon, and Refinery29.