Opal: meaning, lore and careful care

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

Opal plays with light like no other gem. Turn it and flashes of red, green, blue and violet appear and vanish across its surface. Cunningham writes that it holds the colours of every other stone, so it can be charged for almost any purpose. It is also a delicate gem that holds water inside it and needs gentle care.

At a glance

How witches use opal today

Modern Opal is the all-purpose stone in Cunningham’s system and a favourite for creative and psychic work.

Intuition and dreams. Cunningham links opal with psychic work and astral travel. Wear it during divination or keep it by the bed when you want vivid dreams.

Creativity. Its shifting colours make opal a muse stone for artists, writers and musicians. Hold it before you begin a creative session.

Beauty and glamour. Cunningham lists beauty. Opal jewellery is often worn in self-love rituals and glamour magic.

Luck and money. Cunningham also lists money and luck. Pair opal with a bay leaf, his associated herb.

Charging for anything. Because it holds every colour, opal can be charged for whatever you need. Name one purpose at a time.

Tarot pairing. I pair opal with The Star: hope, inspiration and many-coloured light.

Journal prompt. Which part of me changes with the light, and how can I honour all of those colours?

Try this: a bay leaf opal charm

1. Take a small opal, or opal jewellery, and a dry bay leaf.
2. Write one creative or lucky wish on the bay leaf.
3. Wrap the leaf loosely around the opal, as Cunningham describes for an old charm.
4. Keep the bundle in a small box away from heat for one moon cycle.
5. Afterward, burn the bay leaf safely in a fireproof dish and wear or keep the opal.

Folklore and history

Historical Pliny the Elder described opal as a gem that holds the colours of many other gems at once, and it was highly prized in Rome.

Later tradition Cunningham traces the idea that opal is unlucky to Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 novel Anne of Geierstein, in which an opal is linked with misfortune. He insists the superstition is modern and untrue.

Modern The GIA notes that Australia became the world’s main source of opal after commercial mining began in the 1890s, and opal is now the October birthstone.

Care and safety

Opal can contain up to about a fifth water by weight, according to the GIA. Heat, strong light and very dry air can make it craze with fine cracks. Avoid hot cars, sunny windowsills, steam and ultrasonic cleaners. Clean with a soft, damp cloth and dry immediately. Doublets and triplets are thin opal glued to a backing, with a clear cap on triplets, so never soak them. Opal supports intention; it is not a health treatment.

Ethics and buying

Ask whether you are buying solid opal, a doublet, a triplet or a laboratory-grown or imitation opal. All are fine if disclosed, but prices should reflect the difference. Ethiopian and Australian opals are the most common today.

What next

Pair opal with moonstone for dreams or labradorite for intuition. See my beginner’s guide to crystals.