Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-28
A MYSTERIOUS GEM.
FANcIES AND POPULAR SUPERSTl-
TloNS ABOUT THE Opal

4
OF the Large and Valuable specimens.
The Question OF Lucls-More or Less On.
reliable Stories.
The. superstitious breads aud fancies sur
rounding the beautiful opal date back to an.
cisnt times, but the cause for placing this
wonderful stone, posse sing such brilliant
hues, under the ban, as we'll as the origin of
the dread, is unknown. Scott, in his 'Anns
OF Getrstein," alludes to che foolish fancy that
has affected the popularity of a gem possess
ing tho glories Of the rainbow. Tho Turks
believe that 1t falls from heaven In the light
nlng's Hash 1t is a matter of history that
the opal was the favorite gem among the
Romans, and far from being feared or
looked upon with suspicion and aversion, It
was eagerly sought for, rs it was supposed to
possess the power of warning against disaster
aud heralding to ito owner tidings Of good
| fortune. The Arabians ascribed to 1t SUPER
uatural powers, their ardent tmaginations
'wayed and stimulated by the flashing play
Of ever changing color, emanating from the
magnificent mineral
WHERE THE OPAL Is FOUND.
The records regarding old opal mines are
| lost, but IL Is supposed that the ancients de-
rived their supply from Arabia and Syria
Tho famous Hungarian mines were not dis
covered until late In tue Fifteenth cent ury,
aud were of course unknown to the Romans
| The principal mines from whence opals are
obtained today are situated In Hungary and
Honduras The AInaripaH Ia.
hardness of the Hungarian gem, but it is
rully as brilliant, and withstands atmospheric
nroads upon the colofs quite as we'll The
magnificent characteristic Of the gem, which
| gives it value and renowu, 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
tgneous rocks Quartz, when flawed tn the
interior, sometimes xnibits a remarkable
rideScence, and resembles the opal, especially
when viewed at distance. Such specimen,
are called iris. The elegant iris ornaments
worn by the Empress Josephine were Of re-
msrkable brllliancy 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 splenoor 1t was indeed q
fitting ornament for So 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 ''rincendir de Troie"-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 end the stone was stranger at the
brilliant court It Is possible that Eugene
| may have been influenced In her hatred of
the gem from Josephines fondness for ths
same, and attributed to the mysterious work
ings OF the fiery mineral some subtle, malign
influence that conspired to bring about her
| downfall But the fact remains inscribed
upon the pages Of history that although the
opal was vigorously baIIished from Versailles
and the Tuileries, Eugenie fed from Paris
under cover OF darkness. covering with terror
III the dusty depths of shabby vehicle, as
the roar of a raging populace reached her
ears
In deep contrast Is t1s sterling good sense
OF Engiands queen, who admires and values
the gem to such degree that she numbers
them among her choicest family gifts
HIGH PRICED GEMS
The famous opal Of b story WIS that which
was worn in ring by the Roman senator
Nonius In the days of the triumvirate. Its
size scarcely exceeded that of hazel nut.
yet its beauty and br1liancy rendered it q
marvel among the dilettanti of Rome, and It
was valued at nearly 81, ,OOo, 600 Marc Antony,
bearing in mind the sacrifice of Cleopatrah
Incompatible pearl and still euslaved by the
Egyptian queens Irresistible charms, made
overtures for the opal intending to present
It to the dusky beauty; out Nonius refused TO
part with his cherish ed gem and sought
safety In flight. The extreme beauty and
charm may be estimai ed when 1t Is known
that to a Roman banistment was worse than
death History makes no further mention
Of this wonderful opal 1t has disappeared
from the worlds collection Of gems, and it's
glories have probably yielded to the destruc-
tive effects of time.
The fire opal is found In its greatest per-
fection In the porphyritio rocks at Zimapan,
Mexico. 1t Is generally of a hyacinth red
color, and CLEANS forth with flashes Of bril-
liant carmine with vel ow and green scintil-
lations The Mexican production surpasses
all other varieties in the intensity and gur-
IL
Posure and the sensitive surface soon loses its
flashing beauties. Tley bring exorbitant
prices In Mexico when sold to the unwary,
who learn all too soon upon returning to the
haunts of civilization that they had paid
nearly 10 per cent. too much for the gems.
The Spanish historians, in their marvellous
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
a miter waving With plumes of fire, and
which was supposed 10 have been produced
by masses Of the fire opal.
The colors displayed by the opal embrace
all the tints in the solar spectrum. The
shades of green, blue. yellow and red are
vivid and clear.
The grandest specimen Of the gem ever dis
covered was unearthei in the mines Of Hun
gary In ITO and pure based by the Austrian
government. Its weight was seventeen
ounces, and it was three and three-quarter
inches In length. It rests In the imperial
Cabinet at Vienna and Is valued at $500, 900.
| The opal is not sold By weight but its value
depends upon Its size end the intensity OF Its
fire and combination OF colors. An opal halt
an inch in diameter may have a value of %,
and another, no largr, but possessing brGl-
| iancy Of hues, may sell readily for $500 or