Opals are one of those stones that stun you into silence.
They have the rainbow sheen of an oil spill and gleam like porcelain. Whenever I see opals I think of my childhood. There was a show I used to watch called “Dragon Tales” and I’m not sure how many seasons it ran for. But what I do remember is that the two main characters, Max and Emmy found an enchanted dragon scale with fantastical powers. They would say “I wish, I wish with all my heart to fly with dragons in a land apart.” Then, they would get transported into these grand adventures.
Seeing opal for the first time reminded me so much of that dragon scale. The magic of these stones lies in their color and luster.
Opals look so decadent and creamy and otherworldly that it’s no wonder people have tried to incorporate them into myths and attribute them to something higher.
Did you know that opals were once believed to be the tears of the Greek god Zeus? And because even in folklore men can’t understand consent or safely stomach rejection, Native Americans thought that opal was a Rainbow Goddess who transformed herself into stone to evade the advance of other gods.
One of my favorite poems about the gemstone is by Pulitzer Prize winner Amy Lowell and I’ve shared it below:
Opal
You are ice and fire,
The touch of you burns my hands like snow.
You are cold and flame.
You are the crimson of amaryllis,
The silver of moon-touched magnolias.
When I am with you,
My heart is a frozen pond
Gleaming with agitated torches.
I love the imagery in this poem. The moonlit white-petaled flowers. The coldness of the ice and the warm heat of torch fire.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Is opal the stuff of legend or overhyped?
