October

GEMSTONE

Opals are a non-crystaline form of quarts and have up to 20% water mixed in. Opals are formed of grids of silica spheres of varying sizes (typically around 0.2 microns) which each refract light differently. This creates the beautiful rainbow of colors mixed throughout an Opal. 

LORE

The Romans used to believe that the Opal was the most precious and powerful of all gemstones because it had all of the colors of other gemstones. Royalty often valued Opals for its protective powers and were often set in crowns and royal jewelry to ward off evil. A ground up powdered version was used once as protection from nightmares.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS

Mineral Group: Hydrated Silica (Non-crystalline Quartz)
Colors: All Colors
Refractive Index: 1.37-1.47
Birefringence: None
Specific Gravity: 2.15 (+0.08, -0.90)
Mohs Hardness: 5 to 6.5