Split Personality
Flip the dusty pages of history and you come across stories that are seldom told.
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Black,white,yellow,red…the Opal refuses to stay loyal to one colour!
Flip the dusty pages of history and you come across stories that are seldom told. Among them is this one. Did you know Napoleon proposed to the beautiful Josephine with what is often referred to as the Burning Troy? It was actually a sparkling red Opal gemstone. But red isnt the only colour youll find Opal staying true to. Based on its surface Opal may be black (considered most precious) or white. Crystal Opal has a colourless background while Fire Opal is fairly transparent and maybe yellow,orange,red,or brown. Opal quality is determined by the number of colours it displays and the evenness of the pattern. It is actually Amorphous silica,a solidified jelly with no crystal structure with upto 15 percent water and most distinctly categorized as common and precious.
Fundamentally a colourless stone,it is however the most alive gemstone owing to its multi-coloured flames. Disseminated impurities impart Opal its diverse body colours which is why Opal jewellery should be aired to avoid crazing. The word Opal comes from the Latin word Opalus which means change of colour. Most Opal is 50 to 65 million years old. Romans revered it as symbol of purity and hope and ranked it second only to emeralds. A dazzling Opal called Orphanus was set in the crown of the Holy Roman emperor. Arabs believed Opals fell from the heaven in flashes of lightning.
In Middle Ages women wore Opals to protect their blonde hair.
In 1829,however,Opal acquired a stigma through its role in plot of a novel Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott. In the novel,Lady Hermione owned an Opal that turned ashen grey upon her death. While the book was a hit,readers falsely perceived Opal as a carrier of bad luck. This factually brought the European Opal market down for almost 50 years. Thankfully in 1877 news of an amazing Black Opal found in South Wales revived its market. Finally,it was Queen Victorias love for Opals that made wearing the sparkling stone fashionable. Today 90 percent of gem quality Opal comes from the Australian outback. Best specimens may command $20,000 a carat making certification a must. Shakespeare used an Opal in his play Twelfth Night to draw a parallel between Opals changing colours and the ever changing moods of a woman. Gorgeous rainbow of colours on a neutral background makes Opal jewellery a perfect match for most outfits.
(The writer is a city-based researcher specialising in jewellery art and can be contacted at sameeraahaan02@gmail.com)
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