This stone was formed during the Cretaceous period . Silica from decomposing rocks mixed with ground water, collected, and petrified in underground cavities.

ok one of the superstitions about opals is you have to buy them for someone else otherwise you will have bad luck if you use it for yourself. without a doubt this has been proven false!!!!.Also in some cases you would have to pay a penny if you got it as a gift.In research this got started by diamond dealers. Diamonds were falling out of intrest and Opals were gaining intrest. So shopkeepers started this nasty little rumors to keep diamonds as a more precious special stone.

opals in general were said to be placed in water otherwise they sometimes will dry out and break.most opal including some precious opal has the nasty habbit of "crazing" which simply means that over time it begins to crack. Some feel that watering them keeps them moist and delays cracking. This is also the reason that high end opal pieces tend to be coated to protect them. So opal jewelry will not water as it's already protected. Oregon opal is bad for crazing.. the autralian stuff is a lot better. One person bought a precious opal within 3 months it split right in half. The two pieces have been stable since but it shows that even precious opal can craze. The really high end australian stuff (reddish in color) never crazes but that stuff is more expensive than diamonds of the same size. also opals can be damaged by a great amount of heat.

In ancient times they were thought to render the wearer invisible because of the colors.

When the Black Plague struck, people believed that a recently inflicted person's opal would flare up and then totally lose its' colour upon their death.

One myth tells of a storm god throwing a bolt of lightning at the rainbow that ended his storm. The subsequent explosion of colours fell to the earth, embedding themselves in the rocks, creating the opal.

It can invoke faithfullness and loyalty in a relationship and bring oppurtunities for growth. Also, it's used for psychic ability and awareness.
It enhances love, passion, faithfullness, emotional expressiveness, warmth, spontinaity, peace, consciousness, and dramatic ability.


andean azure-blue opal: an opal that corrosponds to the fifth chakra. in elixir use , it is a good substitute for turquoise. A stone of courage & ingenuity; increases self esteem & self love. Aids creativity & communication. helps one find a confidant. decrease stress and fatigue. physically healing for fatigue, CFS, metabolic balance, iron absorption, dizziness & brain disorders.

Blue andean opal: another name for it is chysopal. good for singers. also aids in the 5th chakra.