The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-11-22
AN OLD SUPERSTITION GONE
OPALS NOV WORN BY ANY ONE WHO
 CAN PA FOR THEM.
Fine Opals Found ln America.


 But lay an opal on her breast,
 And hope will lull the woes to rest.
 That the last lingering traces of the
 old superstition regarding the evil inn
 port of the opal are fast disappearing
 is shown by the fact that nowadays 1t
 is universally worn. At one time the man or woman whose birthday was not in October would not buy or accept one of these gems at any cost, but now eve- ry one is only too happy to be the pos
 eessor of anTopal.
 Jewellers, realizing the great demand there is for opals, exhibit them in all kinds of designs Not only are there magnificent necklaces and brooches for the women bountifully supplied with this worlds goods but there are also rings and pins of all kinds in the less precious variety of the stone for more economical purses Particularly beau- tiful ornaments in the form of butter flies, beetles and other insects are shown, and these are strilingy effec- tive for evening wear The compara- lively recent return of the opal to that place in popular favor which it en- joyed in former times is owing largely to. the influence of Queen Victoria. The opal has always been a great fa- vorite with her, and she has presented iton many occasions to her friends and relatives.
 Among the ancients the opal was val ued very highly and it is related or the Roman Senator Nonnius that he preferred exile rather, than give up his beautiful gem to Marc Antony. Pliny claims to have seen this same stone, and puts it's value at what would be about five hundred thousand dollars He also says of the opal that it is made up of all the glories of all the most precious gems" The properties, indeed that were ascribed to this gem by the ancients were far from being evil. On the contrary, it was supposed to possess wonderful supernatural vir
 tues, and, according to the traditional beliefs of the magi, the opal was proof against all the diseases of the eye. Anyone who was fortunate enough to have this stone would have his sight preserved and strengthened.
 The opal was also thought to have the power of attracting all other gems to itself and could bestow upon it's wearer the highest and noblest quali- ties This favorable sgnification of the opals powers continued on past the middle ages, and, indeed, it was only after Sir Walter Scott had become fa- nous, and people read of the evil in- f1uence of the stone in his Anne of Geierstein" that it fell into disfavor.
 It is remarkable how widespread this belief in the opal's evil powers became. It spread to France and Russia, and many interesting stories are told show ing the strong power this superstition exercised over the popular mind. It is said that the Empress Eugenie refused | to accept costly necklace of opals pre- eented to her by Napoleon.
 The opal differs from quarts in it's | composition in that it contains from five to thirteen per cent. of water, it's only other constituent being silica. The | chief charm and beauty of this stone | lies in it's wonderful play of brilliant colors This is supposed to be caused . by the very small Assures which re- fract the light. An opal is always pol ished with a convex surface, since that | exhibits the play of coors to the best advantage. Opals which have become dull can be made brilliant again by be- ing allowed to absorb clear water or by heating. As the edges of an opal are easily injured the very finest jewels are often protected by thin plate of quartz crystals. Opal occurs in many different varieties, of which the follow ing are the most common and are ar ranged according to their value. The precious nor noble opal; the Harlequin opal, in which the colors are not equal ly diffused but in certain spots; the fire opal which is limpid and red, and which is too rare to be used like the precious opal in jewelry; the Oriental opal; the common opal, which is semi transparent and does not have the won- derful play of colors. It is not a rare mineral. The finest of these stones { come almost always from Kaschan, in Hungary, and these same mines have been the chief source of the opal sup ply for a number of years As rule the opals are very small, but if they $ are beautiful they are very valuable, { even if small. Precious opal is also found in Saxony and South America, and of recent years immense quanti- | ties have been brought from Queens : land It is claimed that the mines of i the latter place will outrival those of e Oriental opals come from :, Honduras and Nicaragua and it is of ten said that some of this same variety f is originally from the Hungarian mines, ., but has been taken away by Grecian I and Turkish merchants and has found f its way back by the Indies to Holland. r The fire opal is found in the Farce Is- ; lands Guatemala, Mexico and the Uni | ted States Humboldt had the honor of |; from Mexico the first speci- a men of the fire opal ever seen in Flu a rope. q Black opals have been found in 6 Egypt, but they are very rare, and, Ii therefore, of great value. The bamboo f. )pal which has been discovered in the I. Philippines, is also very valuable. q These opals are very small but beauti- a ul in coloring, and are found so sel- q lom in the stems of the bamboo that n hey can never be in the market to any W great extent. b The most highly valued opals are Il hose that have the changeable red and e ,reen colors. Probably the imperial il abinet of Vienna contains the most D
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