ARE OPALS BAD LUCK AND CURSED?
WHAT'S THE REAL CURSE AND SUPERSTITION ABOUT OPALS?
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It’s a myth that’s been passed down for generations…
The Opal is CURSED!
I see people at the jewelry store pass up opals because “It’s not my birthstone!“
Many feel that if you wear an opal, and it’s not your birthstone, you’ll be cursed and have bad luck.
They won’t even buy an opal for someone else if it’s not their official gemstone of the month.
People are so superstitious, and this makes buying opals a very questionable purchase.
Who needs bad luck, right?
So is there just to this myth? Are opals really cursed?
Let’s find out…
Opals have had a long hard life since the beginning of time. Fueled by rumors and old wives tales, these stones are both colorful and unique, but magical and evil as well. Or so they say.
Opals actually started out as a “good luck charm“, and Caesars would give them to their wives to wear as Talismans. Romans loved them.
It was often referred to as “cupid’s stone“, because of their clear complexion.
Greeks even thought the stone came from heavens, and used it for prophecy and premonitions.
Orientals described the stone as “the anchor of hope“…
So where did it run amuck?
Confusion over the NAME…
The name “opal” was accidentally linked to the word “ophals“, which meant “human eye“. But in reality “opal” was named after “opalus“, which meant “to heal the blind“.
Close in association, but this little disorientation brought huge consequences.
For this mishap caused people to believe that it was psychic, and that the EYE (did you see that movie?) gave you abilities into the supernatural world.
Some even thought that it would make you invisible to your enemies.
Throughout history, opals have always brought intrigue and fascination, so will it give you teleportation powers as well? Some thought it would.
Some believed it banished evil and cured eye-sight.
Some EYES even resembled a cat’s eye and Medieval Europeans believed that a glance upon the stone would bring ill-will.
Many thought Witches used them in their craft.
The evil-eye made people sick. It killed crops. It sickened livestock.
All coincidental?
I’m sure it was, people always want to find causes for failures and fatality… But hence, the eye was forever linked with dire omens and sinister malevolence.
It’s crazy, because something named to be virtuous, turned ugly and dark over time.
It’s sad, because opals are beautiful, stunning, and vivid. Like lighting from the sky and glistening rainbows…
See some awesome and cool opals below…
It is amazing to me, that even in this modern world, superstition still exists and folk lore legends abound.
Doesn’t seem possible. I mean, the Ancient Romans thought of opal as the “Queen of Gemstones“!
That’s some pretty high praise.
Some believed that the opal was the result of Zeus’ tears upon the ground after defeating the Titans.
So is it bad luck, and will it bring a foreshadowing of disaster to come?
I’d say no.
I don’t believe in any superstitions: “walking under ladders“, “breaking mirrors“, or having a “black cat cross my path“…
Opals are the birthstone of October (my birthstone).
So it can’t be evil…
Unless you combine it with an evil eye, like this pendant below…
Then okay, maybe…
Personally, I say buy opals, wear opals, love opals…
Leave all the bad karma behind.
And if you do see a REAL evil eye…
Run like hell!
I mean, there’s truth to the saying:
“C you later Alligator!”
Isn’t there???
Cheers! :)
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Richard- Great post!! I never knew so much lore about such a beautiful stone! I had also heard some silly superstitious nonsense about Opals being a harbinger of bad luck, and some other rot, but I really hadn’t dug into them that deeply. I did hear some stuff about either they were unlucky because they were so fragile and could break or even shatter rather easily, OR they would break/shatter because they were unlucky! IDK which way ’round it was because I didn’t pay that much attention to any of it! Ah well.
I do know that my grandpa would keep his opals in little jars of light mineral oil, to keep them from drying out and cracking before they got used for jewelry. He’d also advise anyone who got pieces with his opals in them to give the stones an “oil bath” from time to time to keep them in good condition. I don’t have too many pieces with opals in them, and there are so many different types of opals to choose from too. My grandmother, of course, had some phenomenal pieces. Wish I could see them again, but my uncle got almost all her jewelry, instead of my mom, after my grandparents both passed, less than a year apart. Maybe some day, but I doubt it.
Great advice from your grandpa. Dab a little oil on them to keep them from drying out (or you can also just gently rub them with your fingers). I’m sure their ability to easily crack, and the fact that some look cracked, but aren’t has played into the superstition as well. :) -Richard
I never believed in superstitions and especially this one applying to a gemstone. I collect gemstones, mainly gems in polished or rough form, and some as jewelry. However, I purchased a lovely set of Australian fire opal earrings that were stunning, despite having heard it was bad luck to wear this stone if it’s not your birthstone, (and it’s not mine, the moonstone is). Well, I wish I had found or had made a set of rainbow moonstone earrings instead. Incredibly and so sadly, after I bought the opals, my mother died, then my father, then my husband. Then I lost my house because of my husband’s untimely demise and thus my whole life. This all occurred within a year! I will forever rue the day I bought such a worthless piece of jewelry I didn’t even need. I sold them in a garage sale where I sold most of my life’s possessions to try to pay debts left from a young 20 year marriage. I will forever believe to wear or buy an opal is a curse that will come. For reference, I’m 45 yrs, chemical engineering masters degree with a minor in geology and astronomy, teaching advanced calculus and geology 101 at University of Florida. I own a black cat and have opened umbrellas inside, so I would definitely say I’m not the “superstitious type”. This however is different, something happened! For the Richard Scott above, opals beauty and colors comes from water being trapped inside. This is why keeping them in oil, or bathing them in oil keeps them from drying out and kerosene the water trapped. If they are in jewelry, you must have a professional clean them, the ammonia in DIY jewelry cleaner will ruin them and dry them out.