Is there any gemstone more appealing than Opal stone? Also known as the 'queen of gems’, it is a stunning gemstone ever found, with its scintillating play of hues and a sheer range of shades. The stone's mesmerizing history stretches back thousands of years and fetches us directly up until the current day, with significant mines of the gemstone still being produced around the world. Here, we are going to take a glance at the history and science of this gem as well as some of the excellent varieties of this gemstone.
History Of Opal Gemstone
The term Opal has is considered to have emanated from the Latin word ‘Opalus’ that signifies ‘precious gemstone’ and the Greek ‘Opallios’ indicating ‘to glimpse a modification in hue’, but these two terms are themselves emanated from the older Sanskrit word ‘upala’. This title dates back to around 250 BC, at which point it is believed that this October Birthstone was more useful than any other gems in the world. Some of the Archeologists have dated early Opal gemstone sees to over 10,000 years ago in North America and 6,000 years back in Kenya. This latter discovery was supposed to be Ethiopian in origin, as Ethiopia connects Kenya to the north. Both of these mines must have been forgotten by Roman times, however, as the only reported source before significant discoveries in Australia in the late 19th century was in Slovakia in a location called Cervenica.
Significance of Opal Stone in Antiquity
The Romans triumphed in the hues of Natural Opal stone and wore the gemstone in the form to boast about their worth and status. These people formed their Opal gemstones from the mines above their borders in eastern Europe. The Roman general Mark Antony desired to show Cleopatra of Egypt an Opal gemstone as an imprint of their relationship and closed a fellow general with a proposal to buy his amazing gemstone. Sooner than selling it, the general, called Nonius, escaped Rome instead and left back his home and most of his controls. He always keeps his Opal though! Opal gemstone was so beneficial to the Romans that one Roman Emperor is stated to have offered up one-third of his whole kingdom in exchange for a single gemstone. William Shakespeare said Opal stone as ‘a a miracle’ and stamped the term ‘queen of gemstone’ in his play Twelfth Night, which he reported between 1601 and 1602. The French ruler Napoleon presented a reported 700 carat Opal stone to his first wife Josephine, remembered as ‘The Burning of Troy’ because of its deep red moments. Whilst the gemstone is so well documented that it is commonly assumed to have been a real gemstone, it sadly hasn’t been noticed or heard about since Josephine passed away in 1814.
For all the optimistic features linked with Opal gemstone over the years, there were some adverse effects of this gemstone. Opal gemstones can dry out if they’re not feasted with care and this section can guide the gemstone from going dull and even cracking in severe cases. This latter circumstance is learned as crazing, and before the science of Opal gemstone was fully comprehended this dulling and crazing of Opal lead many to conclude that Opal gemstone was considered as a harbinger of bad luck. Indeed, Opal gemstones have been evaluated both great luck and poor luck throughout history. They were considered as beloved as Diamonds to the Ancient Greeks and utilized in jewelry by the Romans, whereas in Russia the gemstone was believed by the Tsars to signify the evil eye. When Europeans willingly went to the New World they saw the Aztecs of South America mining the gemstone, and due to its rareness and looks, they took many back to Europe to be given to the kingly courts. By the early 19th century, the bad luck linked with the gemstone had reached somewhat out of hand, and Opal gemstone had descended almost completely out of famous use.
Buy Certified Opal Stone Online
Real pieces of opal gem are quite rare to find. Especially when there are endless fraud sellers sitting in the market who are selling synthetic stones in lieu of original ones. Thus, when you plan to buy gemstones online or offline from the local market, make sure you are buying and investing your money in real ones. In order to ensure the authenticity of the stone, always ask for a certificate of originality from the seller.
Particularly when you want to wear a stone for astrological benefits, you should only wear a real stone. You can also explore Navratan, the online gem Bazar for the widest assortment of certified opal stones online along with a certificate of authenticity from renowned gem testing labs like GRS, GIA, Gubelin, SSEF, and IGI. Have a safe purchase.
