Ethiopian Opal

Composition

Opal is a hydrated amorphous type of silica, with a water content ranging typically between 6 and 10 percent. Due to its amorphous qualities opal is categorized as a mineraloid, in comparison to its crystalline silica equivalents which are crystals. Opals have a microcrystalline skeleton that is made from invisible silica spheres. The organized silica spheres inside the opal microstructure cause the external colors by diffracting and/or interacting with light moving through the nanostructure of the opal. Black opal is the most uncommon, while white, gray, and green are more common.

History

The word Opal is derived from a Latin word, "opalus" and the Sanskrit upala, both meaning ‘precious stone.' The phrase came to be synonymous with good luck and optimism in the Roman civilization. There was a French belief  that wearing opal might render the owner transparent, offering the ability to commit crimes without repercussions. An Australian myth holds that an Opal rules the heavens, and commands human desire. Opal is included among the seven sacred stones of the Cherokee people.

Healing properties

Opal is best known for its capacity to expose our authentic self and what we are deserving of becoming. Opal emits light that picks up on different thoughts and feelings, wishes and buried impulses, and releases them. Although sometimes highlighting a person's negative qualities it allows for recognizing the harmful essence and encourages the process of moving past them. Opal is an erotic stone, connected to love and romance as well as lust and passion. It is used to share passion as well as to overcome inhibitions. Opal is an effective promoter of eyesight, hair, fingernails and face, and can be used to enhance treatments of eye conditions.