Evening journal., 1889-02-08
A MYSTERIOUS GLM.
FANclEs AND POPULAR SUPERSTl-
TlONS ABOUT THE Opal


The Question Of Luck-Moro or Less I'm
reliable Stories.
The superstitious breads and fancies sur
rounding the beautiful opal date back to an.
oient times. but the cause for placing this
wonderful stone, possessing such brilliant
hues, under the ban. as well as tho origin Of
tho dread is unknown. Scott, In his "Anne
Of Geirstein, alludes to the foolish fancy that
has affected the popularity of a gem possess
ing tho glories Of the rainbow. The Turks
believe that it falls from heaven In the light
ning's flash. II is a matter Of history that
the opal was the favorite gem among the
Romans, and so far from being feared or
looked upon with suspicion and aversion, it
was eagerly sought for. as ii was supposed to
possess the power Of warning against disaster
and heralding to It's owner tidings Of good
fortune The Arabians ascribed to it super.
natural powers, their ardent imaginations
swayed and stimulated by the flashing play
Of ever changing colors emanating from the
magnificent mineral
WHERE THE OPAL Is FOUND
The records regarding old opal mines are
lost, but it is supposed that the ancients de
rived their supply from Arabia and Syria.
The famous Hungarian mines were not dis.
covered until late In the Fifteenth century,
and were Of course unknown to the Romans
The principal mines from whence opals are
obtained today are situated In Hungary and
Honduras. The American opal lacks the
hardness Of the Hungarian GEM but 1t is
fully as brilliant and withstands atmospheric
inroads upon the colors quite as well The
magnificent characteristic of the gem, which
gives II value and renown is the brilliant
combination Of colored reflections which it
displays, and, when the stone is held in the
sunlight, the Latin philosopher was correct
in stating that it was made up Of the glories
of the most precious stones
The gem is found not only In porcelain
earth, but also in assures and seams Of old
igneous rocks. Quartz, when Hawed in the
interior, sometimes exhibits a remarkable
iridescence, and resembles the opal, especially
when viewed at a distance Such specimens
are called iris. The elegant iris ornaments
worn by the Empress Josephine were Of re-
markable brilliancy and the wonder and envy
Of the imperial court She also possessed the
finest opal Of modern times, which was only
displayed when arrayed IN all the grandeur
Of full imperial splendor. 1t was indeed a
fitting ornament for 50 beautiful woman
Its flashing rays of light were so powerful
and vivid as to give the appearance Of living
flames Of fire, and from that it received its
title "lncendir de Troien-the burning Of
Troy. The fate Of the gem is unknown, but
with the history Of the fair owner the most
casual reader is familiar.
Empress Eugenie had a superstitious dread
amounting TO positive aversion for the beau
tiful opal and the stone was stranger at th'
brilliant court. 1t is possible that Eugeni
may have been influenced in her hatred o
the gem from Josephine's fondnoss for th
same and attributed to the mysterious work
ings Of the fiery mineral some subtle, maligl
influence that conspired to bring about he
downfall. But the fact remains inscribe,
upon the pages Of history that although til,
opal was vigorously banished from Versatile
and the Tuileries, Eugene fed from Pari
under cover OF darkness, covering with terror
in the dusty depths of a shabby vehicle, %
the roar Of a raging p0pulace reached hel
ears
In deep contrast is the sterling good sons
OF Englands queen, who admires and value,
the gem to such a degree that she number
them among her choicest family gifts.
HIGH PRICED GEMS.
The famous opal of history was that which
was worn in a ring by the Roman senator
Nonius in the days Of the triumvirate. Its
size scarcely exceeded that Of hazel mt,
yet its beauty and brilliancy rendered it a
marvel among the dilettanti Of Rome, and it
was valued at nearly 81, 0OO, 600 Marc Antony,
bearing in mind the sacrifice Of Cleopatra's
Incompatible pearl and still enslaved by the
Egyptian queens irresistible charms, made
Dvertures for the opal, intending to present
1t to the dusky beauty; but Nonius refused to
part with his cherished gem and sought
safety in flight. The extreme beauty and
charm may be estimated when it is known
that to a Roman Punishment was worse than
death. History makes no further mention
Of this wonderful opal II has disappeared
from the worlds collection Of gems, and its
glories have probably yielded TO the destruc.
tive effects Of time
The fire opal Is found in its greatest per.
lection in the porphyritic rocks at Zimapan,
Mexico. It is generally Of a hyacinth red
color, and CLEANS forth with flashes Of bril-.
liant carmine with yellow and green scintil.
lations The Mexican production SURPRISES
all other varieties in the intensity and COR
geousness Of its hues, but it will not bear ex.
posure and the sensitive surface soon loses its
flashing beauties They bring exorbitant
prices IN Mexico when sold 10 the unwary
who learn all too soon upon returning TO Tho
haunts Of civilization that they had paid
nearly 80 per cent too much for the gems
The Spanish historians, in their marvelou.
stories Of the wonders seen in Mexico at The
time Of the conquest, describe the image Of
the mystic idol Quetyalcoatl god Of the air
on the great pyramid Of Cholula, as wearing
inter waving with plumes Of fire, anC
which was supposed to have been producec
by masses Of the fire opal
The colors displayed by the opal enbrac,
all the tints in the solar spectrum. Tn
shades Of green, blue, yellow and red ar
vivid and clear.
( The grandest specimen Of the gem ever dis
J covered was unearthed in the mines OF Hun
gary in l9i0 and purchased by the Austriai
government Its weight was seventies
ounces, and it was three and three-quarte
] inches in length. It rests in the imperia
cabinet at Vienna and is valued at $500 0Ot
The opal is not sold by weight but its yalu
demands nrnnr, Is sizn ma ~. i..t...a.. II !.