Blue Opal History, Meaning, Symbolism, Healing Properties & More

Introduction

One of the mesmerizing and captivating semi-precious gemstones that is known for its captivating patterns and strikingly beautiful blue hues is the Blue Opal gemstone. This gemstone belongs to the opal family, a family of gemstones that is famous for its iridescence and play of colors. The reason why blue opal jewelry is quite famous among jewelry designers, as well as jewelry enthusiasts, is because the blue opal stone set in the jewelry offers tranquil and soothing vibes.

We bet that the moment you purchase gemstone jewelry made of blue opal, you will fall in love with it. After all, who won’t love the gorgeous blue opal especially when set in 925 sterling silver? The 925 sterling silver jewelry set with blue opal is not only eye-catching, but it also pairs well with any outfit. With that being said, we will discuss only and only about blue opals in this particular blog. We will discuss things like what blue opal stones are, the history of blue opal gemstones, the healing properties of blue opal, and so on and so forth. We know, all these questions got you amped up. Let’s answer your first question: what blue opal gemstones are.

What is Blue Opal Gemstone?

Blue opal gemstone is one of the many varieties of opal stone that is available in shades of blue-green and blue. Sometimes, the term “blue opal” also describes the opaque varieties of opal found in Machu Pichu, which generally possesses a teal color. Unlike other gemstones, blue opal is not a mineral – rather, it is classified as a mineraloid. What it means is that the mesmerizing blue opal is composed of spheres of microcrystalline silica that scatter blue light through a phenomenon known as the play of colors.

If you are not aware of the phenomenon known as the play of colors, well, it is an optical effect because of which precious opals display changing hues. These changing hues (or colors) appear to float inside the stone. This phenomenon creates flashes of orange, red, blue, and green colors. Common opals, on the other hand, showcase a subtle optical illusion known as opalescence. In opalescence, light hits alternating layers of the microstructure of common opal, which creates a shimmering, bluish-whitish color. This color floats below the gemstone’s surface. Most blue opals which come under the category of common opals show opalescence, and some blue opals which are precious opals showcase the play of colors.

Talking about durability, blue opal ranks between 5 to 6.5 on the Moh’s Scale of Mineral Hardness, which indicates that it is modest when it comes to its durability. Looking at the blue opal stone’s hardness, you can conclude that it is in league with hematite and turquoise.

Now, you must be thinking from where do these magnificent blue opal gemstones get mined? Well, Brazil and its neighbor, Peru are the two famous deposits of the rare Paraiba opal, an opal variety that possesses a bluish-green color and resembles the hues of sea glass. Other than Brazil and Peru, Indonesia and Slovakia too, have deposits of blue opals. And in case you are a nationalist, and you want to buy blue opal that has been mined in the United States, then perhaps you should look for merchants who source the stone from blue opal mines located in Oregon, Nevada, or Idaho.

History of Blue Opal Stone

There are two known origins of the name “opal”. The first theory suggests that in ancient Greek, there is a word ‘opallios’ and in ancient Latin, there is a word ‘opallus’ both of which fundamentally mean “to observe a change in color”. The second theory suggests that in Sanskrit, there is a word ‘upala’ (notice, that ‘upala’ sounds similar to the word opal) which means ‘precious stone’.

The blue opal stone has a rich history that dates back to 4000 BC. The first blue opals were discovered by archaeologists as blue opal jewelry in a cave located in Kenya. These blue opals were believed to have originated from Ethiopia.

In ancient Greece, it was believed that wearing blue opals could grant the wearer psychic abilities like clairvoyance, claircognizance, and clairaudience, and they treated the opal stone as an oracle stone. The Romans and Greeks believed that blue opals were a celestial gift, sent from the heavens that had the ability to ward off illnesses and misfortune. Talking about Greek mythology, natural blue opal gemstones were believed to be tears of joy that Zeus shed after he defeated the mighty Titans.

South Americans have different beliefs when it comes to the blue opal stone. Their ancient beliefs claim that the blue opal gemstone was sent from the Inca earth goddess Pachamama as a gift. This is why they had fancy titles for opals like “The Eye Stone” or “Pandora”.

Healing Properties of Blue Opal Gemstones

Blue opals possess a range of healing properties. The crystal healers use blue opals to calm down the intense emotions one has after setbacks because they claim that blue opal jewelry connects the wearer to cosmic consciousness. On the other hand, the spiritual community says that blue opal jewelry enhances the intelligence and creativity levels of the wearer, while also heightening the awareness of the wearer.

When it comes to healing, the blue opal stone is believed to treat fevers and diarrhea, and it purifies the liver and the bowel tract. The blue opal stone also fixes kidney infections. The Native American culture claims that opal is very beneficial for those women who are suffering from menstrual cramps and mood swings due to their menses. Opal jewelry also eases the discomfort faced by women during their childbirth.

It is also said that blue opal heals chronic diseases, strengthens the hair and nails, renews skin cells, and improves vision. Emotionally, blue opal jewelry promotes feelings of hope and optimism and allows the wearer to look at life from an optimistic point of view. It aids in bringing tranquillity and relaxes individuals suffering from worry, anxiety, and depression.

Conclusion

The blue opal is a symbol of peacefulness, creativity, and freedom an individual has when he expresses his views freely. Needless to say, the blue opal jewelry makes up for wonderful birthstone jewelry, because opal is the October birthstone. Now, it's time to wrap things up. We have told you everything you need to know about the intriguing world of blue opal. Although it is not a precious stone, yet as a semi-precious stone, it appears quirky. And as you will wear blue opal jewelry, you will find it to be an absolute show stealer.

Are you interested in investing in blue opal jewelry? Check out Sagacia Jewelry’s blue opal jewelry. As you browse the blue opal jewelry collection at Sagacia Jewelry, you will find a wide range of blue opal rings, blue opal earrings, blue opal necklaces, blue opal pendants, and blue opal bracelets from which you can select your desired sterling silver jewelry. We also have a huge gemstone jewelry collection, other than blue opal jewelry, such as purple agate jewelry, amber jewelry, black onyx jewelry, black rutile jewelry, and carnelian jewelry. All the jewelry available at Sagacia is made in pure 925 sterling silver. If you are especially looking for gemstone pendants, then we have good news for you - we also sell silver chains that complement our pendants very well. Our whole jewelry collection has spectacular designs, so say ‘Yes’ to Sagacia and purchase what your heart desires from Sagacia’s jewelry collection.