Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-27

Its owner by rendering him lovable and bestow.
ing upon him the gift of invisibility, which
made 1t the patron stone of robbers To be
on the right side Of this gems influence some
authorities say that none ought ever to accep,
it as present
1t has been asserted that the opal was moi
considered unlucky in England until Sir Walter
scott published his "Anne of Geierstein" He
alludes to the belief that the Mexican oral loses
IT'S beauty when exposed to the action OF water
ana puts this down to super tural agency
The unpoopularity Of the opal is. however capa-
Die OF being explained in a more prosaic man.
ner. 1t is well-known fact that the opal when
worn as ring is very apt to escape from its
setting In most unaccountabie manne. This
arises from the fact that the opal possesses the
Characteristic of being slightly enlarged under
the influence of heat. When the owners hand
gets hot ii Is liable TO swell and force the setting
open TO a certain extent. When il grows cold
again the gem returns to its original size This
process is repeated until the setting becomes
sufficiently enlarged to allow the stone to drop
out unnoticed.
EUGENE HATED THE OPAL
The Empress Eflgenie had a superstitious
dread amounting to positive aversion for tho
beautiful opal, and the stone was stranger at
the brilliant court. 1t is possible that Eugene
may have been influenced in her hatred of the
gem from Josephine's fondness for it. and
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
banished from Versailles and the Tuilleries.
Eugene fled from Paris under cover of dark
ness, covering in terror in the dusty depths of
shabby vehicle with the savage roar of an in
furiated populace ringing in her ears and
under the protection of an American dentist
who invariably wore an opal and diamond pin
In deep contrast is the sterling good sense of
England S great queen. who admires and values
the gem to such degree that she numbers
them among her choicest family gifts
The records regarding old opal mines are
lost, but 1t is supposed TINT the ancients de-
rived their supply from Arabia and Syria. The
famous Hungarian mines were not discovered
until late in the fifteenth century, and Of course
were unknown to the Romans. The principal
mines from where opals are obtained TODAY are
situated in Hungary and Honduras Quartz
when fiawed in the interior sometimes exhibits
Q remarkable iridescence, and resembles the
opal, especially when viewed at distance
Such specimens are called iris The elegant
iris ornaments worn by the Empress Josephine
were of remarkable brilliancy and the wonder
and envy Of the imperial court. She also pos
sessed the finest opal of modern times, which
was only displayed when arrayed in all the
grandeur Of full court Dress It was indeed
fitting ornament for 80 beautiful q woman. Its
uhsniiiS rays oI Lgnt we're SO powerful and vivid
q to give the Appearance Of living flames OF
fire, and from that it received its title "rIncen-
dirde TrOie" in the burning Of Troy. The fate
OF the gem is unknown but with the history of
the fair owner the most casual reader il familiar,
FAMOUS OPAL OF HISTORY.
The famous opal Of history was that which
was worn in ring by the Roman senator No.
MUS in the days of the triumvirate. Its size
scarcely exceeded that Of a hAzelnut, vet It's
beauty and brilliancy rendered il marvel among
the dAetfann OF Rome and 1t WA valued 1t
81 900. Marc Antony, bearing in mind the
sacrifice OF Cleopatra's incompatible pearl and
still enslaved BY the Egyptian queens irresist-
tbie charms, made ovcrtures for the opal, intend
ing to present it to the dusky beauty, but Nonius
refused to part with his cherished gem and
sought safety in flight. The extreme beauty
and charm of the gem may be estimated when
1t is known that TO . Roman banishment was
worse than death. History makes no further
mention of this wonderful opal II has disap-
peared from the worlds collection of gems and
its glories have probably yielded to the de-
structive effects Of FIRE.
The dre opal Il found in lis greatest perfec-
ton N the porphyritic rocks q zinepan,
MEXICO. II b generally Of hyaciuth rcd color
and CLEANS forth With flashes Of brilliant car
mine, with yellow and green scintiliations. The
Mexican produetiUn eurpassss al others In the
intensity Of it. Asss, but twill not bear sx-
posure. and ths sensltivs surface soon losss it,
beauties.
PEE anAxDEsf sPDmxxx.
The grsnAsst specimen Of ths gem ever dis
covered was unsarthsd in the mines Of Hungary
In ITO and purchased BY ne AustriAa govern.
ment It, weight was IL ounces and II was 81
inches II lsngtk. II rss>s II Ne imperial eab-
met q visnM snd = yuausd q ooo0,oO n
oral r ma soIA hv 1919 t~,x -. 49, a.