Why is it bad luck to wear opals if you weren't born in October?

Opal superstitions have shifted and changed over the years. Centuries ago, the opal was considered a good luck charm. It was cherished by the Romans as a symbol of hope, the ancient Greeks believed the opal gave its owner the gift of prophecy, and the Arabians believed that the colourful stone rained from heaven in flashes of lightning.

In the Middle Ages, people believed the opal was essential to good eyesight, and young women wore them in their hair to ensure their hair color would never fade [source: Opals Down Under].

The opal may have been so widely revered because of the way the stone plays with color. Made up of microscopic spheres of silica with spaces between them, the opal refracts light in different ways. Because of this, opals appear in nature in all different colors.

It wasn't until much later that the opal earned a reputation as the bad luck stone. A rumour linking the peculiar behaviour of an opal worn by a victim of the Black Plague proved to be the undoing of the precious stone. Legend has it that the opal went dull following the victim's death, an unsettling occurrence indeed.

In another story, a Spanish king gave a cursed opal ring to his wife, who fell ill shortly therafter. As the story goes, the King then decided to give the ring to his grandmother, who also died from the same weird illness. The tragedy continued with his sister and his sister-in-law, until the Spanish King finally put the ring on his own finger and passed away.

One of the worst blows to the opal's reputation came in the form of the 1829 novel "Anne of Geierstein" by Sir Walter Scott. The opal changed color with the heroine's moods. Then when her opal is touched by holy water, it discolors. She is accused of being a demon and dies shortly after. The public was so affected by this story that the opal market actually crashed and prices dropped by 50 percent [source: Pegg].

The enchanting allure of the ancient opal made it a beloved gemstone for many throughout history. However, its reputation took a significant hit in the 18th and 19th centuries, and while Sir Walter Scott's novel "Anne of Geierstein" is frequently cited as a cause, there's another, more insidious angle to consider: the role of diamond traders.

Seeing the rising popularity of opals as a threat to the diamond market, disgruntled diamond traders and jewelers purportedly began to spread rumors about the opal's supposed bad luck. Their motivations were clear: by tarnishing the reputation of opals, they aimed to bolster the diamond's status as the premier gemstone for jewelry and do damage to the reputations of prominent opal miners.

Queen Victoria, who reigned over the British Empire from 1837 to 1901, played a significant role in the fashion and cultural trends of her time, not just in Britain but across the world. Her influence extended to jewelry trends, and among the gemstones she favored was the opal.

Her decision to, among other things, wear opal pins was not just a matter of aesthetics; it was also, in many ways, a statement against the belief that they brought bad luck.

The late 19th century saw the discovery of opal deposits in Australia, particularly in places like Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge. Recognizing the potential of this new source and the stunning quality of Australian opals, the Queen became an early patron, further boosting their popularity.

Over time, the mesmerizing allure of opals has permeated various forms of popular culture. The presence of black opals, specifically in movies, literature, and music, often comes with themes of mystery, passion, and good fortune. Recently, the award winning film "Uncut Gems" incorporated the lucky opal superstition, going so far as to suggest that black opals possessed magical properties.

Musicians, too, have succumbed to the opal's allure. The band "Opal" in the 1980s, which later became "Mazzy Star", draws a direct reference. Numerous songs and albums, spanning genres from rock to ambient, have been inspired by or referenced opals, often using the gem as a metaphor for ephemeral beauty, deep emotion, or profound change.

Opals, shimmering with an internal fire and bursting with stories, history, and cultural significance, are undeniably among the most captivating coloured gemstones on Earth. They are more than just adornments; they're reflections of humanity's shared myths, beliefs, and emotions.

Each type tells its own story, and every individual stone, with its unique patterns and colors, is like a fingerprint—no two are exactly alike. It's represented bad luck for centuries, thanks in large part to the black plague. Still, the wonderful opal owes much of it's popularity to this unrelenting superstition.