This .925 Sterling Silver swirl ring features a 9mm x 7mm Black Opal doublet with strong green and teal colors. It also has a flash of deep purple.

Opal is a soft stone, approximately the same hardness as glass, and should be treated carefully. A slice of the natural opal crystal has been mounted on an ironstone backing to form a “doublet” (two layers). This protective backing also strengthens the fragile opal. Opals should not be subjected to extended periods of immersion in water, nor should they be exposed to strong solvents.

Artifacts with opals have been found as far back as 4000 B.C. and the lore surrounding these stones is rich. Opals have been credited with magical qualities that include aiding the wearer to see limitless possibilities and providing clarity by amplifying and mirroring feelings, buried emotions and desires. They are also believed to lessen inhibitions and promote spontaneity.

Opals are also a popular birthstone for October. At the beginning of the 1800s the opal was rapidly becoming the most popular gemstone on the marked. To combat its popularity, it is believed that the diamond industry started the popular myth that it is bad luck for someone not born in October to wear an opal.