Opal carries more stories than almost any stone I work with. Customers ask whether it is lucky, whether it is unlucky, what it “means,” and whether it really is the October birthstone. I have written elsewhere about what actually defines an opal as a stone. Here I want to give you the honest version of its reputation: where opal’s reputation comes from, the famous bad-luck myth and why it is nonsense, and what opal has come to symbolize.
Opal in history and folklore
For most of recorded history opal was a stone of good fortune. The Romans prized it above almost everything and saw it as a symbol of hope and purity. Some old accounts have it standing for all gems at once, because a fine opal seems to hold every color in one stone. Arab folklore imagined opals falling from the sky in flashes of lightning. Whatever the tale, the thread running through them is the same: wonder at a stone that seems to contain a living light.
The bad-luck myth, and why it is wrong
If you have heard that opals are unlucky, you can blame a novel. Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 book Anne of Geierstein featured an enchanted opal that lost its fire when touched by holy water, and the heroine died soon after. The story was so popular that opal sales in Europe reportedly slumped for years. That is the whole basis of the superstition: a piece of Victorian fiction, not any real history. There is no curse. An opal is a beautiful natural stone, and the only thing that genuinely shortens its life is rough handling, which my guide to caring for opal jewelry helps you avoid.
Opal as the October birthstone
Opal is the birthstone for October, sharing the month with tourmaline, and it is also the traditional gift for a 14th wedding anniversary. That makes it a natural choice for an October birthday or a milestone year, and it is one of the reasons opal pendants and rings make such personal gifts. Because every opal is unique, an opal given as a birthstone is genuinely one of a kind.
Looking for a meaningful piece? Browse the opal rings and opal pendants in my collection, or ask me about a custom birthstone piece.
What opal is said to represent
Across these traditions opal is most often tied to hope, creativity and inspiration, and to faithfulness and confidence in love. People who follow crystal lore associate it with imagination and emotional expression. I pass those meanings along as folklore rather than fact, the way I would the language of any birthstone. What I can say from the bench is that opal does something no other stone does: it gives every wearer a slightly different play of color, so the piece really does feel personal.
The healing properties people ask about
Crystal guides credit opal with a long list of benefits: calming an anxious mind, opening up creativity, amplifying whatever emotion you bring to it, and steadying hope through hard stretches. Because it carries every color, the tradition treats it as an all-purpose stone rather than a specialist. Those are the properties people come in asking about, and if they draw you to the stone, enjoy them.
I will be straight with you, though, the same way I am about the bad-luck story: I have seen no evidence a gemstone changes what happens in your body, and I do not sell mine as medicine. What an opal genuinely does is simpler. It catches your eye a dozen times a day, it reminds you of the person who gave it or the reason you bought it, and on the right day that nudge is worth something. Fifty years in, that is the only healing property I will vouch for.
A stone that suits a gift
All of this is why opal is such a thoughtful present. It has a warm reputation once you set the novel aside, it marks October and the 14th anniversary, and no two stones are alike, so the gift is never generic. If you are weighing up a stone, my guides to understanding opal and how much is opal worth will help you choose well.
Frequently asked questions
Are opals really bad luck? No. The superstition comes from an 1829 Walter Scott novel, not from history. For centuries before that, opal was considered a lucky stone of hope.
What does an opal symbolize? Most often hope, creativity and faithfulness in love. These are traditional and folkloric meanings rather than proven properties.
What month is opal the birthstone for? October. I cover it in full in my guides to the October birthstone and the opal birthstone. Opal is also the traditional gift for a 14th wedding anniversary.
Much of opal’s meaning grows out of its shifting colors; see how that effect works in opal play of color. If you would like an opal that marks a birthday or an anniversary, I would love to help. Browse the current opal rings, or get in touch about a custom piece.
Richard Lewis has worked at the jeweler’s bench for more than fifty years. He trained at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco and makes each piece in this shop by hand in his Santa Rosa, California studio. His specialty is natural opal and rare abalone pearls collected off the Mendocino coast over thirty years. More about Richard.
