Opulent Opals

Another day, another blog post! Today's entry in the A to Z Blogging Challenge is for the letter O, and I've chosen to feature my birthstone, Opulent Opals!

Opals are such beautiful gems, and they come in quite a variety.

These are from Ethiopia, I didn't even know about all these kinds. Most opals come from Australia, around 97% of the world's opal supply are from there, according to wikipedia.

This display is at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in their gem section (there are so many beautiful gems there!). So much to look at!

Opals are one of the more delicate of popular gems, they break easier, and need moisture(there's water inside them), mineral oil every now and then helps keep them from cracking. I have a few pieces of opal jewelry in my collection, most of note is the heart shaped ring my husband gave me for my sixteenth birthday.

Two photos of the same stone, with a slightly different appearance of the colors inside. So pretty!

I always knew my birthstone was opal, just like my sister born in the same month. Some people would tell me how they thought it was such a pretty gem, but it's unlucky to have an opal unless it's your birthstone. So I considered myself lucky! There used to be a myth that opals were lucky, until a book was written where a magical opal, when neutralized with holy water, made its owner die. After that, many people saw opals as bad luck! To me, it's just a pretty stone, and special because it's my birthstone!

Do you like your birthstone? What is it? Do you have any special jewelry featuring birthstones? Share in the comments!

Thanks for joining me again as we blog from A to Z! Join me tomorrow for something that starts with P!