Opal is October's BirthstoneWritten by Sam Serio
If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don't really know SIGNIFICANCE of your birthstone and what power ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it. October Birthstone: Opal Birthstone Properties: Enhances insight and dispels fear Alternative Birthstone: Tourmaline Opal is birthstone for October and gemstone given to commemorate a 14th wedding anniversary. The word "opal" for this dynamic gemstone was derived from Greek word "opallus" which means to see a change in color…because it is, after all, opal's abilty to refract and reflect specific wavelengths of light that make it so special. In fact, there are more than a dozen varieties of fiery and iridescent opals. Opal is a non-crystallized silica, a mineral found near earth's surface in areas where ancient geothermal hot springs once existed. Romans called magnificent gemstone "Cupid Paederos," meaning a child as beautiful as love. They believed that opals fell to earth from heavens in a flash of lightening. However they arrived in on Earth originally, today opals must be mined from deposits found primarily in Southern Australia, although other sources exist in Brazil, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, and Nevada. Crown Jewels Opal has symbolized hope, innocence and purity through ages. During Middle Ages, fair-haired young women put sapphires in their tresses to protect lovely blond color of their hair. Physicians ground opals into a powder that was ingested to ward off nightmares.
| | Gemstone Jewelry Secrets RevealedWritten by Sam Serio
The mystery and magic of colored gemstones has been an integral aspect or "Lore" of most cultures for many centuries. Here is what noted gemstone experts Antoinette L. Matlins and A.C. Bonanno have to say on matter. "The fascination with colored gemstones dates back to very beginning of civilization. For our ancestors, blue of sapphire produced visions of heavens; red of ruby was a reminder of very essence of life. By Roman times, rings containing colored gems were prized symbols of power-and most powerful wore rings on every joint of every finger! Since ancient times, colored stones have been thought to possess innate magical powers and ability to endow wearer with certain attributes. According to legend, emeralds are good for eyes; yellow stones cure jaundice; red stones stop flow of blood. At one time it was believed that a ruby worn by a man indicated command, nobility, lordship, and vengeance; worn by a woman, however, it indicated pride, obstinacy, haughtiness. A blue sapphire worn by a man indicated wisdom, and high and magnanimous thoughts; on a woman, jealousy in love, politeness, and vigilance. The emerald signified for a man joyousness, transitory hope, and decline of friendship; for woman, unfounded ambition, childish delight, and change. Colored gems, because of magical powers associated with them, achieved extensive use as talismans and amulets; as predictors of future; as therapeutic aids; and as essential elements to many religious practices-pagan, Hebrew, and Christian." Gemstones 101 Natural gemstones are found in nature. Laboratory-created stones, as name implies, are made in laboratory. These stones, which also are referred to as laboratory-grown, {name of manufacturer} - created, or synthetic, have essentially same chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory-created stones do not have rarity of naturally colored stones and they are less expensive than naturally mined stones. By contrast, imitation stones look like natural stones in appearance only, and may be glass, plastic, or less costly stones. Laboratory-created and imitation stones should be clearly identified as such. Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is carat, which is equal to one-fifth 91/5th) of a gram. Carats are divided into 100 units called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .50 carats or 50 points. When gemstones are measured by dimensions, size is expressed in millimeters (for example, 7x5 millimeters).
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