This Week’s Theme: Opal
Look at all these gorgeous Australian opals! The colors are fabulous. How fun would it be to wear this one-of-a-kind handcrafted silver and opal bracelet. It hails from Graham Black, Opal Master Opal jeweler in Lightning Ridge Australia.
About his mining site:
[it’s the] only opal work site with official Government listed status in Australian Premier State Heritage Register Capital Sydney Australia. Opal place lists as item of environmental Heritage in LEP National Trust Australia Register, best quality opal gemstones ever discovered in the world.
From wikipedia about superstitions related to opals:
In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal.[40] It was also said to confer the power of invisibility if wrapped in a fresh bay leaf and held in the hand.[40][41] Following the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s Anne of Geierstein in 1829, opal acquired a less auspicious reputation. In Scott’s novel, the Baroness of Arnheim wears an opal talisman with supernatural powers. When a drop of holy water falls on the talisman, the opal turns into a colorless stone and the Baroness dies soon thereafter. Due to the popularity of Scott’s novel, people began to associate opals with bad luck and death.[40] Within a year of the publishing of Scott’s novel in April 1829, the sale of opals in Europe dropped by 50%, and remained low for the next 20 years or so.[42]
Even as recently as the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that when a Russian saw an opal among other goods offered for sale, he or she should not buy anything more, as the opal was believed to embody the evil eye.[40]
Inspiration
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” ~ Bertrand Russell
Happy Coloring!
joyfully, Maureen
www.TheMandalaLady.com
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