The opal has suffered from an unfortunate reputation as being an evil stone and bearing an ill omen. Ominous superstitutions surround this wonderful gem, including the belief that misfortune will fall on those who wear it.

Among the ancients, opal was a symbol of fidelity and assurance, and in later history it became strongly associated with religious emotion and prayer. It was believed to have a strong therapeutic value for diseases of the eye, and worn as an amulet it would make the wearer immune from them as well as increase the powers of the eyes and the mind. Further, many believed that to the extent the colors of red and green (ruby and emerald) were seen, the wearer would also enjoy the therapeutic powers of those stones: the power to stop bleeding from the ruby or the power o cure kidney diseases from the emerald. The black opal was particularly highly prized as the luck stone of anyone lucky enough to own one.

This stone, whose brilliance and vibrant colors resemble the colors of the fall, is certainly appropriate as a birthstone for October. When we try to describe the opal, we realize how insufficient the Englishh language is. It is unique among the gems, displaying an array of veery brilliant miniature rainbow effects, all miced together.

Its most outstanding characteristic is this unusual, intense display of many colors flashing out like mini-rainbows. This effect is created by opal's formation process, which is very different from that of other gems. Opal is composed of hydrated silica spheres. The mini-rainbows seens in the most opals result from light interference created by these spheres. The arrangement of the spheres, which vary in size and pattern, is responsible for the different colors.

Opal is usually cut flat on in cabochon, since there is no additional brilliance to be captured by faceting. In opals, color is everything. the more brilliant the color, the more valuable the gem. It is probably truer of opan than any other stone that the more beautiful the stone and its color, the more it will cost.

The finest of all is the black opal. Black opals are usually a deep gray or grayish black with flashes of incredibly brilliant color dancing around within and about the stones as they are turned.

Generally speaking, purity of colorm absence of dead spots (called trueness), flawleesness, and intensity or brilliance of color are the primary variables affecting value. Opals with an abundance of red are usually the most expensive; those strong in blue and green are equally beautiful but not as rare, so their price is somewhat less. Some opals are very transparent and are calssified as "jelly," "semi-jelly," or "water" opals. One of the rarest is the "harlequin" opal, which displays color patterns resembling a checker-board.

One word of caution must also be offered: Opals require special care because some tend to dry and crack. Avoid exposure to anything that is potentially drying. And, believe it or not, rubbing it periodically with an oil-moistened cloth - such as olive oil - will help preserve it. Do not soak it; soaking some opals for only a few hours can cause them to lose some or nearly all of their fire.

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Today's birthstone for August, peridot was also a favorite of the ancients. This lovely transparnet yellowish green to deep cahrtreuse stone was quite a powerful gem. It was considered an aid to friendship and was also believed to free the mind of envious thoughts. (Which is probably why it was an aid to friendship.) Because of its yellowish green color, it was believed to cure or prevent diseases of the liver and dropsy. And, if that's not enough, if worn on the left arm it would protect the wearer from the evil eye.

Peridot is also popular today, but probably more for its lovely shade of green than its professed powers. While not particularly brillianct, the richness of its color can be exceptionsl. It comes in shades of yellwoish green to darker, purer green colors. Unfortunately, because of its rarity most people never see peridot in the deeper, purer green color that is so prized.

Peridot is still widely available i small sizes but larger stones are becoming scarce, so prices as now faairly high for good quality material in higher carat weights.

Some caution should be exercised in wearing peridot. It is not q very hard stone and may scratch easily.

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the most versatile of any of the gem families, quartz includes among its members more variety and a larger number of gems than any other three mineral families together. In the gem trade the old saying, "If in doubt, say quartz," still holds true.

The quartz minerals, for the most part, are relatively inexpensive gems that offer a wide range of pleasing color alternatives both in transparnet and nontransparent varieties (from translucent to opaque). They are reasonably hard stones, and while not very brilliant in the transparent varieties, still create lovely, affordable jewelry.

Some of these gems have been discussed in separate sections, but we will provide a list here with brief descriptions of most of the quartz family members.

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A transparent quartz. Often called quartz topaz, citrine topaz, or topaz, all of which are misleading. The correct name of this stone is citrine. It is yellow, amber to amber brown. This is the most commonly seen "topaz" in today's marketplace and is, unfortunately, too often confused with precious topaz becuase of the careless use of the name. While a pleasing stone in terms of color and fairly durable, citrine is slightly softer and has less brilliance than precious topaz. It also lacks the subtle color shading, the pinker yellow or pinkish amber shades, which lend to precious topaz a distinctive color difference. Much citrine is made by heating pale amethyst.

Citrine in plentiful in all sizes, and can be made into striking jewelry, especially in very large sizes, for a relatively small investment, while precious topaz of fine quality is scarce in sizes over seven carats, and very expensive.

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A transparent quartz. A lovely, unusual bi-color quartz in which amethyst and citrine are both present in the same stone. The name is derived by taking the first three letters of amethyst (amethyst) and the last five letters in citrine (citrine). Bolivia is the source of natural ametrine, although "ametrine" can be created in the laboratory.

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A transparent quartz. A pale green transparent variety produced by heating amethyst.

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A transparent quartz. Water clear. Used in old jewelry for rondelles, a type of small bead resembling a donut. Faceted crystal beads were also common in older jewelry. Today, however, crystal usually refers to glass.

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A transparent quartz. Light to deep pink. This stone has been very popular for many years for use in carved pieces - beads, statues, ashtrays, fine lamp bases, and pins and brooches. Rarely clear, this stone is usually seen in cabochon-cuts, rounded beads, or carvings rather than in faceted styles. Once very inexpensive, it is becoming more costly, particularly in the finer deep pink shades. But the color of rose quartz is especially pleasing and offers an excellent choice for use in fashion accessory jewelry.

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A transparent quartz. A pale ot rich smokey brown variety, sometimes mistaken for or misrepresented as smokey topaz or topaz. Also very plentiful and becoming popular for use in very large sizes for beautiful brooches, large dinner rings, and so forth.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. All colors and varieties of markings are seen in this wonderful ornamental gem. Among them you'll find, to mention a few: banded agate; moss agate, a fascinating white or milky agate that looks as though it actually has black, brown, or green moss growing within; eye agate, which has an eyeball effect; or plume agate, which looks like it's filled with beautiful feather plumes. The colors and "scenes" in agate are infinite. White agate is actually an inexpensive stone, some varieties or special stones with very unusual scenes or markings can be quite expensive.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. Carnelian, sard, and sardonyx are reddish, orange, apricot, and brown varieties of chalcedony and are often seen in cameo or other carving work. Black onyx is a dyed chalcedony; chrysoprase is green chalcedony, often dyed.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. See prior description. Click here to review.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. A pale yellowish green stone that when cut in cabochon style produces a streak of light down the center that creates an eye effect. This phenomenon is a result of the presence of fibrelike inclusions. This stone's center is weaker, its color paler, andits cost much less than tru cat's-eye from the chrysoberyl family. But it is nonetheless as attractive stone that makes attractive, affordable jewelry.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. The true chrysocolla is a very soft copper mineral, too soft for jewelry use. However, quartz that has been naturally impregnated or stained with chrysocolla has a good hardness and the same brilliant blue green, highly translucent color. Chrysocolla is becoming a very popular stone for jewelry, and its price is starting to reflect increased demand.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. A bright light to dark green, highly translucent stone, often of very even color. Sometimes misrepresented or confused for jade.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. Opaque red, yellow, green, and brown (or sometimes gray). Usually strongly markedin terms of the contrast between the greenand the other colorsin an almost blothlike or veinlike pattern. The red and green combination is the most popular, although there are more than fifty types of jasper of various coors aaand patterns.

Jasper was believed in ancient culturesto bring rain and also to protect its wearer from the bites of poisonous creatures. It was believed tohave as diverse a power as the colors and veins in whivh it cames, so there were many uses and magical powers associated with it.

Jasper offers interesting color contrast and variety, and is being used increasingly in today's fashion accessory jewelry.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. Sectins of trees or limbs that have been repaced by quartz-type silica and transformed into a mineral after centuries of immersion in silica-rich water under extreme pressure. Usually red, reddish brown, or brown. Not often seen in jewelry.

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A translucent to Opaque quartz. A golden, yellowish, reddish,and cometimes bluish variety of quartz that produces a bright shimmering line (or lines) of light, which when cut in a cabochon will produce an eye. The eye will move when the stone is turned from side to side. It is inexpensive, but very popular for fashion accessory jewelry and men's cuff links and rings.

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