October 09 (DOC)

							October Opal

An Opal is actually a non crystallized silica which is a mineral found near the earth’s surface in the areas where ancient hot springs once were. The Roman’s referred to this gem stone as the “Cupid Paederos,” or “as a child is exquisite so is love”. The Romans also thought that opals came to earth from heaven in a flash of lightening. Opal's chemical formula is SiO2 .nH2O. There are many versions of the meaning of the word and meaning could be the Sanskrit “Upala” meaning precious stone, or the Greek and Roman words respectively “Opallios” and “ophtalmus” meaning eye and “paederes” meaning “Child,” The Opal name from Latin is "opalus," meaning precious jewel. An Opal shows internal colors and is composed of silica spheres some 150 to 300 nanometers in diameter, in a hexagonal close packed lattice. The spheres produce the internal colors by causing the interference and diffraction of light as the light passes through the microstructure of the opal. The fire opal is an American name meaning an opal that has a particular red hue. Opals range from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the reds against black are the rarest and white and greens the most common. The veins of an opal displaying color are often quite thin, and this has given rise to unusual methods of preparing the stone as a gem. An opal can be mounted with a thin layer of opal, backed by a black mineral like ironstone, basalt or obsidian as the backing emphasizes the play of color.

1

A black opal has a dark body hue, a white opal is sometimes a called a milky opal, a boulder opal is dark and magnificent in color, the crystal opal is transparent or semi transparent and contains forms of black and white crystal. October's birthstone treats the eye like a rainbow and has always been prized for the ability to refract and reflect specific wavelengths of light. Ancient monarchs treasured Opals for their beauty and their protective powers, set into crowns and worn in necklaces to ward off evil and to protect eyesight, the gemstones were also ground and ingested for their healing properties and to ward off nightmares. This gemstone actually contains up to 30% water, so it must be protected from heat or harsh chemicals, both of which will cause drying and may lead to cracking and loss of iridescence. Opals require guarding from blows as it is relatively soft and can easily break. Most of the world's Opal deposits are found in Southern Australia. Other sources of this gemstone are Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia and Nevada. Quality Opal is very expensive, made more so by the caution that must be exercised in cutting, polishing and setting it into jewelry. A gift of Opal is symbolic of faithfulness and confidence. Opal is said to enhance insight and dispels dread, and used in a crown opals symbolize hope and purity over ages as an Eye Stone that watched over the royal family that owned the crown. It is also considered the ruler of all gems because it has the range of all the colors of the rainbow. Opals as lucky charms were believed to bring beauty, happiness luck and success to the person wearing them. In Scandinavia, women wore opals in their hair as ornaments to keep their hair form going gray. Arabs used opals to protect from lightning strikes and they also believed that it could make them invisible when they wanted to be. Opals give energy and vigor, help the heart and kidneys, help protect against infections and fainting. In the Far East, people saw the Opal as a symbol of purity and that people who wore Opals were protected against illness. The Romans valued Opals as a universal gook luck charm and as preventive medicine against any eye disease. They believed Opals were aphrodisiacs, and also has the capability of bringing great wealth to its owner. Aztecs also knew of the stone and admired it. Opals have been found inside Aztec Tombs in Mexico. Australian aborigines have a legend that says the creator descended to earth on a rainbow to bring messages of peace to humanity.

2

The legend says that, at the spot where his foot touched the surface of the earth, the stones came to life and began to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow and were opals. This October is powerful filled with energy, and as October is the tenth month the numbers 1 and 0 are the consolidations of matter, bringing forces into play to allow something new to happen. October and the opal means fire, power and with these two elements we see the beginning of success. This month is about People their ideas and events. We will start to see the relief from burdens and a new power in events that assist in the achievement of ambition. Achievement is becoming closer to probable than ever before, and one must not let up on the hard work.

3