Does an Opal Bring Bad Luck? How a Novel Ruined Its Name
Opal knowledge · Myth
A novel destroyed its reputation. A queen saved it.
Does the opal bring bad luck? No. But the question persists stubbornly, and it has a remarkably precise cause: a novel from the year 1829. Before that the opal had counted for two thousand years as a lucky stone, a stone of hope and of artists. How the darling of antiquity became a bringer of misfortune, and who brought it back, is one of the best stories in the world of gemstones.
The answer up front: The reputation as a stone of misfortune arose through Walter Scott's novel Anne of Geierstein of 1829 and was gladly passed on by competing dealers. In antiquity and the Middle Ages the opal was an outright lucky stone. Today it is the birthstone of October and the stone of the opal wedding on the 21st anniversary.
What did the opal count for in antiquity?
The Romans held the opal in high regard. Pliny the Elder described it in the first century as a stone that united the colours of all other gemstones in itself: the fire of the carbuncle, the green of the emerald, the blue of the amethyst. A stone that could do everything was, logically enough, held to be particularly powerful.
Also handed down is the story of the senator Nonius, who chose exile rather than surrender his opal to Mark Antony. Whether it happened that way nobody knows. But it shows the standing the stone had.
Greece
The name is usually traced back to opallios , roughly to see a change of colour. The stone was credited with the gift of prophecy.
Rome
A symbol of hope and purity. Opals counted as bringers of luck and were worn as talismans.
Middle Ages
It was held to be a protective stone for the eyes and was in places called ophthalmios , eye stone. It was also said to preserve the colour of fair hair.
What happened in 1829?
Sir Walter Scott, at the time one of the most widely read authors in Europe, published Anne of Geierstein. In it Lady Hermione wears an opal in her hair that mirrors her moods: it sparkles when she is glad and glows red when she is angry. When a drop of holy water falls on it, the stone goes out, and its wearer dies shortly afterwards.
Scott did not set out to condemn a gemstone. He needed an image for something supernatural. Readers turned it into a verdict on an entire stone.
The effect was drastic. Contemporary accounts speak of the opal price in Europe collapsing sharply within a few months and not recovering for years. A novel had ruined a market.
The second reason, rarely mentioned
Opal is softer and more delicate than diamond or sapphire. In an age without knowledge of care, stones cracked in heat or went dull. When a piece of jewellery is damaged for no apparent reason, the road to superstition is short.
Why did the rumour last so long?
At the end of the 19th century large opal deposits were discovered in Australia. Suddenly a great deal of very good opal reached a market that had until then been served by a few European sources. For established dealers, above all in the diamond trade, a cheap and eye catching competitor was not good news.
That the story of the stone of misfortune held up especially well in this period is therefore an obvious thought. A deliberate campaign, however, cannot be proven. It is a plausible explanation, not evidence, and we present it here as such.
How did Queen Victoria bring the opal back?
Queen Victoria
Against the superstition
Victoria thought nothing of the talk. She wore opals herself and gave her daughters opal jewellery on their weddings. Since the English court set Europe's fashion in the 19th century, the mood turned. Anyone seeing opals at court could hardly go on considering them cursed.
That the new Australian finds were British Empire at the time fitted the picture nicely as well.
Is the opal a lucky stone today?
The superstition has largely disappeared today, and where it still surfaces it is mostly as an anecdote. Two firm attributions have taken its place, both of them positive.
October birthstone
The opal is the stone of October, together with tourmaline. Anyone born in October traditionally receives it as a bringer of luck.
Opal wedding
The 21st wedding anniversary is called the opal wedding. A stone that stands, after two decades of marriage, for the variety of the shared years is about as far from a bringer of misfortune as you can get.
One point that matters to us
Whether a stone brings luck is a question of belief, not of knowledge. There is no scientific evidence for any effect of gemstones, neither for good nor for ill. What we tell here is cultural history. It is beautiful, but it is not a promise.
If you are interested in what else is attributed to the opal: opal meaning and properties. And if you want to know which stones wrote the stories: famous opals.
If you want to pick your own lucky stone: the opal finder helps with the choice, and the whole range is under opal jewellery.
What to make of it
You do not have to believe in anything to wear an opal. But it helps to know where the talk comes from when someone tells you opals bring bad luck. It goes back to a novel from 1829 and to dealers who profited from the fear. Two thousand years before that the same stone counted as a sign of hope. Choose which story you pass on.
Common questions about opal superstition
Does an opal bring bad luck?
No. The reputation goes back to Walter Scott's novel Anne of Geierstein of 1829, in which an opal plays an ominous role.
Can you give yourself an opal?
Yes. The notion that an opal brings bad luck only if you buy it for yourself is a later embellishment of the Scott myth and has no older basis.
Why did the opal count as a lucky stone in antiquity?
Because it seemed to unite the colours of all other gemstones. Pliny the Elder described it that way, and a stone that could do everything was held to be particularly powerful.
Is the opal a lucky stone?
In tradition yes, above all as the birthstone of October. Scientifically, no effect of gemstones is proven, neither positive nor negative.
Who restored the opal's reputation?
Queen Victoria. She wore opals despite the superstition and gave them to her daughters.
Is it true that dealers spread the rumour?
That is a widespread and plausible explanation, especially for the period of the Australian finds from the 1880s onwards. Evidence of a deliberate campaign does not exist, however.
If you are unsure or have questions, you are welcome to contact us at any time, even if you did not buy the opal from us. Contact form, email cs@libertyangels.de or call +49 171 1603048.
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Written by Anton Kehler
Gründer FAERELLI & Liberty Angels
