River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-11-17
A JEWEL THAT DRINKS.
when the Opal Grows Dull Water WIN
Restore 1t.

Restore IL.
Unlike the other mobile" gems. the
opal is not a crystal. Unbelievable
quartz" it is called by those who know
the proper nomenclature of things min
eralogical. and its composition varies
from So. IS to 81. SD of pure silica. What
causes the wonderful play of color AMI
irridescent loneliness which gives this
beautiful gem its value is still not quite
determined.
Some say the play comes from water
which is inside the stone, some from
films of air, others again from assures
and cracks, and no one really knows.
Anyway, it is "thirsty-stone," and
when it grows little dull and dim can
be brought back to its full beauty by
letting il drink.
There are several varieties of opal,
and therefore several degrees of merit.
The precious. or noble, or oriental opal.
is the supreme. This has all the colors,
and when these colors are broken into
spangles it is then called the harlequin
opal Then comes the fire opal or gira-
sol, with hyaeinth red and yellow re-
Elections The former comes from Hum
gary, the latter from Mexico. The com
mon or sem-opals are non-opalescent.
The hydrophane or oculis mundi ia
non-transparent, but becomes SO by i'm
mersion in water or any transparent
! fluid. The cachalOng is nearly Opaque,
and of a bluish-white color. The hyalite
is colorless, pellucid and white. The
opal jasper or wood opal is the petrifac-
| t&l
the coloring which makes the noble"
gem SO precious.
The ancients priced the opal as they
priced diamonds and pearls. and the
story of the senator Nonius is well
lxnown-how he went into exile rather
than part with his beautiful opal, val
ued, accorning to two different au-
| thorities consulted, at el6,0 to e100,-
000 There is the same discrepancy
among these writers of books of refer
ence as to the Caesar" who required
this sturdy veteran to give up his
| Jewel The reader may make his
choice among these: Marc Anthony,
Augustus, NJ. Antoninus
1t is to be wondered whether that
| opal was as fine as, or superior 20, the
Great Mountain of Light, that Hunga-
rian opal which the older among us
can remember at the great exhibition
of 81. which was estimated as
worth $4,000, but which was inferior
to one kept at Vienna, and not
sent over to become the marvel of
millions-an opal weighing seventeen
ounces, and for which a merchant in
Amsterdam offered five hundred thou
sand fiorins-and was refused. Now
five hundred thousand forms sums up
about fifty thousand pounds.
Those thin slabs of white stone. semi
transparent, which look red when held
against the light, are opals of kind;
but they are not priced as jewels, and
are kept in cabinets as curiosities.
All sorts of superstitions have gath
cred round the opal. and to this day it
is considered an unlucky stone.
Woe to the bride-expectant WAC re-
ceives this stone as her engagement
ringl She might as well have fan of
peacock feathers presented to her. And
| these feathers, we all know. bring DIS
astcr and misfortune about the house
where they are harbored as certainly
as bacteria and bacilli bring disease.
But formerly, when precious stones
had their functions more precisely
formulated than now, this lovely &c N
was said to recreate the heart; TO be a
preventative against poison and aerial
contagious; to Danish sorrow. prevent
Paintings. and to cure the heartache
and evil affections.
There are also black opals which are
very rare. They come from Egypt, and
''have the glow of the ruby seen
through vapor. like coal ignited at
one END. The opal is exceedingly soft
and requires the greatest care in
manipulating 1t hardens and also
dminishes in size when expos ed to the
air; but at all times it has to be treated
with tenderness and care, else it will
lose in luster and value. and perhaps
polish of surface. AS it stands il is one
of the loveliest of all stones-with the
purity of pearl and the lustcr of a
diamond.
1t goes best with diamonds. Indeed.
no other stone matches it harmonious
| ". But diamonds and opals together
look as if they were two presentations
of the same original idea. The one
| transparent and the other opaque and
merely translucent. London Queen.