I love Australian opal!
Magical and mysterious, opal glows as if there is a light source within. This display of color and fire can be explained scientifically as a uniform stacking and sizing of tiny silica spheres that act as a diffraction grating which can divide light into spectral colors. But the magic remains.
I particularly love this specimen because it reveals the intricate veining of the ironstone matrix in which the opal formed. The thin dark brown lines weave through the swirling light and color almost like a net, trying to provide structure to the mystery, connecting the physical to the spiritual.
Opal has been revered since antiquity and therefore sustains a complex folklore. It has been used to invoke visions, to help one feel the creativity that is within the self, and to awaken ones psychic powers. Opal also teaches us to fully feel and express our emotions.
