Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-05-19
: SILLY SUPERSTITION.
The Widespread Belief That Opals
Are Unlucky.
jewelers. Who Are Afraid to Keep Them
In Stock-SOme Reasons Why the
Beautiful Gems Are Viewed
with Distrust.

The silly superstition about opals-
that they bring i'll luck-dics hard, saws
Minerals. In fact, although Queen Vic
toria has taken firm stand against it
and proves her position by making pres
cnts of opal jewelry TO her friends and
relatives, there are many who think
that it is increasing. The superstition
and the arrival within year of a
blShel or so of opalS from Australia, I'M
surpassed in color, have had a tendency
to lower the price of these lovely gems,
and some dealers are willing to dispose
of their stock of them for less than cost.
Olc jeweler in New York, who formerly
sold good many, refuses to keep them
any longer. Il haven't an opal in the
place." said he. mind, I'm not in the
least affected by this idea of opals
bringing bad luck, for love the stones,
and would as lief have an opal on nv
finger as IL Diamond, but they arc run
ming down in value and have but few
buyers, SO that it does not paw me to
Keep them, and, besides, women come
back here with opal rings and pins that
L sold them years ago and demand to
exchange them for something else, be-
cause in the meantime their pet cats
have died, or their babies have had
Group, or their ncighbors have expressed
horror ut their temerity in wearing a
forbidden gem. In other words, they
want to exchange worn and unstable
goods for things that are newer and of
more value, and in cases where they
are good customers | have to submit to
it."
One man in Brooklyn took the opal
out CT his ring and smashed il to atoms
with Ratchet because he had failed in
business.
While Sir Walter Scott did something
to give the opal Il bad name by his
account Of it in Anne of GiprStcin," it
was held in distruHt long before his
time. 1t was considerably in use in
Venice at the time of the plague, and il
WAS noticed there in the hospitals
that before death the stone would
sometimes brighten on the victims fin
gcr. It never seemed to occur to the
people that the illness could produce
the glow of color; they took it for
granted that the stone occaSioned the
illness. AS - matter of fact opals arc
affected by neat, even by that of the
hand. and tic fever, being at it's height
sEinH with unwontcd clcarnCSs. This
comirncd the superstition, and to this
r'V there are sane and ablG-boClied people
>-..o believe that chip OF stone in the
use can cause calanitiCS. Sometimes
S"c1aS as ii mankind has not gone far
A2T0nd its swaddling clothes as yet
Probably another reason for the dis
trust excited in opalG is the fact thct
t'icy change and lose their color. This
has its ciii&c III the SoftneSs and por-
'UincsS Of the material and its capacity
E0th for absorbing water and withrart-
ing with what it has. one of Which
transformations tends to make it dull.
Ac other chal'!y and Opaque. A pecuI-
i.r variety of opal, black in color. vet
H%hibitlnH iridesccnt flashes, was cut
$40 handsome stones, but on opening
ih& papers that contained them few
%ectis later it was discovered that they
nd crumbicd into powder. They were
sd to h&v" como from New Zealand.
The transparent OpalS that come from
oEduraS are believed TO regain color,
TIER 1T has become faint. by soaking
tlGm in oil. Doubtless the most Cur
us form OF opal, buJ one that does not
. :mmGnd itself fOr use in ornament. is
tie hydlCphane, that was known CEN
ricS ago as the oculuS rlundi. or
Eye Of the world'-'a namc purely fan.
'asti"al-and that has recently been
:und in small quantities. in Colorado.
v his stone has a wonderful power Of
absorption. In It's usual state it is of 4.
T,'."Ni1h, waXy tint, but when water
J. topped upon it the tint SLOWLY
l'i5se% away, and from being ,translr-
cent it becomes transparent. On OK
T"Gurc to the air the water cvaporatCs
IL an hour, leaving the stone as it was
LefOre.