Let's learn about Opal gemstone meanings, from its geological facts to its crystal healing properties.
This colorful stone shines from within. How can it benefit you? Discover the mesmerizing glow of this vibrant stone and learn about its metaphysical powers.
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What is Opal?
Opal is hydrated silica that crystallizes in a gel-like formation. It forms in microscopic silica spheres, like crystal balls. The arrangement of the spheres in the stone determines whether you have a common Opal or a precious Opal.
Most of the Opal in the world is common Opal, also known as Potch. These Opals have their silica spheres in a disorganized fashion. They are opaque and have no play of color. Only around 5% of the world's Opals are precious Opals. These Opals have their silica spheres arranged in a very organized, uniform fashion. This allows light to deflect through the translucent material with a play of color, or a sparkling rainbow effect.
All Opal comes in a variety of colors and inclusions.
Can you benefit from Opal stones?
If you can answer yes to one or more of these statements, Opal stones can benefit and enhance your life:
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You are looking to activate your imagination
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You seek to fulfill your life's destiny
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You want to strengthen your talents
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You wish to be uninhibited in expressing yourself
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You want to interpret your dreams
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You like balancing your chakras with one versatile stone
What are the metaphysical properties of Opal?
Opal is available in various colors, each with distinct healing properties. Overall, Opal nurtures creativity, imagination, and showcases innate talents. With a serene undertone, Opal exudes vibrant energy to uplift you out of the ordinary and mundane.
How do you use Opal in healing?
Whether you are using Opal in your healing practice, for meditation, or enhancing your space, here are just a few ideas to get you started. Know more? Share with us and we'll add them here.
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Interpret your dreams by holding an Opal after you wake up
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Wear Opal pendants for intuitive guidance
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Gift Opal hearts to strengthen relationships
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Wear Opal earrings to balance yin and yang energy
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Gaze into an Opal crystal ball for clarity on your true desires
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Place Opal in your home for reminders of your manifestation goals
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Balance all your chakras with the different colors of Opal
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Place Opal towers around your home to attract the right people into your life
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Hold Opal Ammonites during past life regressions
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Grid your space with Opal tumbled stones to create a net of creativity
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Hold Opal spheres during meditation to align with your destiny
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Drink an Opal elixir to clear creative blocks
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Wear Opal bracelets or rings when you are writing, studying, or working on any other projects that require inspiration
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Place pink or green Opal at your heart chakra during a layout to clear emotional trauma
What are the different colors of Opal?
You can find a rainbow array of Opal colors.
Here are a few different colors of Opal:
Black Opal is one of the rarest colors of Opal, and thus the most sought after. It has a dark gray to black body caused by Carbon and Iron Oxides. The dark background starkly contrasts its vibrant play of color.
In crystal healing, Black Opal is used as a protective shield from harmful energies, especially when doing spiritual work. It is also used to ground to the earth at the Root chakra.
Blue Opal will vary in its color intensity and may show mineral inclusions. It gets its color from copper. You will find a blue-green version from Peru, a light blue from the United States, and a precious version from Australia.
In crystal healing, Blue Opal helps reduce stress-related anxieties. Blue Opal may be used to open and balance the Throat chakra.
Brown Opal ranges from pale to almost black. It is sometimes falsely marketed as Black Opal. This stone looks like petrified wood.
In crystal healing, Brown Opal helps connect you to the earth when you are doing spiritual work. It prevents you from living only in the clouds and grounds you to the present moment.
Green Opal ranges from pale to dark green with brown to yellow inclusions. The green color is usually caused by Nickel. Depending on the shade of green, it is sometimes confused with Jade.
In crystal healing, Green Opal is your cheerleader when you're feeling low. It guides you to discover your inner power and emerge stronger.
Orange Opal, or Fire Opal, has a fiery reddish-orange glow caused by iron oxides. They are usually known for their vibrant body color rather than a play of colors.
In crystal healing, Orange Opal unblocks the Sacral chakra to allow freedom of expression, creativity, and success in pursuits.
Pink Opal is a creamy, pale to rosy pink stone that may show black mineral inclusions.
In crystal healing, Pink Opal brings a wave of loving energy to the Heart chakra, washing away past traumas and focusing on compassion and harmony in relationships with yourself and others.
Purple Opal in its precious form can show a dancing purple glow. In its common form, it gets its color from Purple Fluorite.
In crystal healing, Purple Opal works at the Third Eye chakra for mental clarity and visions of your destiny. It aligns with your path in life and leads you to success.
White Opal is a translucent to opaque white to gray stone which may show natural inclusions. These are the most common colors of Opal found worldwide.
In crystal healing, White Opal lifts your spirits with love, hope, and harmony. It is used at the Crown chakra to connect with the spiritual realm.
Yellow Opal can vary from pale to deep golden hues. It is often found with black or brown inclusions.
In crystal healing, Yellow Opal balances your Solar Plexus chakra, bringing emotional balance, optimism, and confidence.
What are the different types of Opal?
Besides coming in a variety of colors, Opal gemstones are found by type and locale. Here are the most popular:
Boulder Opal is found in Queensland, Australia, and is quite rare. It is formed with Ironstone, which makes it more durable than other Opals. The organic Ironstone backing also makes the play of color more iridescent.
Dendritic Opal, or Moss Opal, shows black mineral inclusions of Manganese or Iron Oxide that are reminiscent of branching foliage. You usually see dendrites in white or yellow Opal.
Ethiopian Opal, or Welo Opal, is opaque to translucent and shows a brilliant play of color. Most of these Opals have porous surfaces that shift the stone's appearance and become translucent when submerged in water. Ethiopian Opal comes in a variety of body colors, but they are all known for their vibrant flashes of color. They are usually larger, rarer, and cheaper than Australian Opals.
Hyalite Opal is a translucent, glass-like gemstone with a bubbly formation coveted for its rare fluorescence. Under UV light (or rarely under daylight), this Opal will sometimes glow green or blue. depending on its Uranium content. Note, the amount of Uranium is so small and contained in the crystal that it poses zero health risk. Hyalite Opal is found worldwide.
Mexican Fire Opal is a rare variety of the Opal family, glowing with deep orange and red colors produced by Iron and Manganese minerals. The translucent to transparent stone doesn't have the play of color of other precious Opals, but it boasts a fiery shimmer.
Peruvian Opal, or Andean Opal, is found in the Andes Mountains. It lacks play of color but may show iridescence. It is usually found in soft blue, green, and pink colors.
Slovakian Opals, or Hungarian Opals, are white with flashes of blue and orange. They were mined since the Roman era and through the Hungarian empire. These mines were popular until the Australian mines took over.
Violet Flame Opal, or Morado Opal, is a purple and white gemstone with no play of color. This is a common Opal with purple Fluorite and white Silica inclusions. It is found in central Mexico.
Watch the Opal video
If you prefer watching to reading, click on our Opal YouTube video for an overview of this crystal.
This is a part of our A-Z Satin Crystals Meanings video playlist, where we answer your top 5 questions on all of the most popular crystals. Enjoy the examples and don't forget to leave us a video comment!
How can you care for Opal?
Depending on what type of Opal you have, it can be stored in water or should be kept out of it. If you have a hydrophane Opal, like the Ethiopian variety, it welcomes water in its porous surface. The water prevents drying and cracking, but will not be tolerated in excess. If it absorbs too much water, the silica spheres can fracture and crack.
If you have non-porous Opals like the Australian variety, they can not absorb water, but can be cleaned under water. Unless you live in a very dry environment, these Opals can survive at room temperature.
Treated Opals and composite Opals, which are glued onto artificial backings, may not fare well in water. When in doubt, leave them out of water. Use a soft cloth instead, and make sure it is completely dry before storing.
Like all-natural gemstones, Opal should be handled with care. Hard impacts and harsh chemicals could ruin the stone.
Keep Opal out of direct light or high heat. This can cause fractures called “crazing.”
Store Opal away from items harder than a 5 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness to avoid chips and scratches.
To energetically cleanse, charge, and program your stones, visit the Crystal Care instructions.
Sheila's personal experience with Opal
I didn't know much about Opal until we started collecting them for Satin Crystals. I was dumbfounded to see them in a range of flat colors. I had only known them in their "precious" form with play of color, rainbows, and flashes.
I now know about the other 95% of the Opal world, and find Common Opal's nickname, Potch, to be funny.
The world of Opal is an eye-opening one. Only those who are truly into crystals will know of their whole gamut and benefit from not only their brilliance but also their subtle serenity. Amazingly, it comes in every color of the chakra rainbow!
Lisa's personal experience with Opal
As an October-born soul, Opal is my birthstone. I wasn't very attracted to Opal, nor did I have much experience with it, until we got some interesting Mexican Fire Opal at Satin Crystals. I remember seeing the fascinating, bright pink, orange, and red rainbow Opal oozing through the brown minerals. We had them in the form of animal figurines and eggs.
Over the years, I learned that Opal is quite exciting. Green Pistachio Opal mixed with brown is one of my favorites. I was surprised at how quickly our batch of Black Opal spheres sold out, never to be seen again (well, I still hold out hope that we'll find more in the future!). Blue Owyhee Opal is beautiful, along with the bolder Pink Opals.
Because it comes in so many colors, I have embraced Opal as a versatile healing stone with many superpowers. It is one of the most wonderful stones for spiritual manifestations, ready to make all my dreams come true.
Mineral Facts of Opal Stone
Take a look at Opal's scientific facts and educate yourself on the mineral's physical form.
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Mohs Scale of Hardness: 4.5-6.5
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Surface Color: Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Pink, Green, White, Black, Gray, Orange, Brown, Clear
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Streak Color (can vary from surface color; this is the color of the crystals’ powdered minerals): White
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Group: Silicate
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Cleavage (where the crystal breaks off naturally to form a new face, parallel to its structure. This is a clean break and can cleave over and over again along the same face, retaining the crystals structure): None
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Fracture (where you break the crystal, not on a natural cleavage): Conchoidal
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Luster: Vitreous (glassy), Pearly, Waxy, Resinous
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Tenacity: Brittle - Sensitive to pressure
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Transparency: Transparent (light flows through crystal) to Opaque (no light flows through crystal)
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Crystal System: Amorphous (no distinct crystal formation)
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Crystal Habit: Massive, Botryoidal, Stalactitic, Nodular, Veins, Crusts
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Fluorescence: Yes
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Specific Gravity: 1.98-2.25
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Density: 1.9-2.3
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Refractive Index: 1.37-1.47
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Radioactivity: Slight to None
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Magnetism: No
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Solubility: Insoluble in water
How is Opal formed?
Some Opals form underground, in veins and cracks of rocks, when silica-rich water deposits tiny spheres of silica gel that solidify and turn into flashy gemstones.
Other Opals form in the mountains from volcanic activity, when bubbling water dissolves the silica and crystallizes in nodules. They are found in lump-shaped nodules.
Where is Opal found?
Most of the world's Opals come from Australia, but they can be found on nearly every continent. Other notable locations for Opal are Ethiopia, Peru, Honduras, Mexico, the USA, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Madagascar, and Bolivia.
Is Opal radioactive?
Although Opal may contain trace amounts of radioactive elements, it does not pose a health risk. The radioactivity is typically very low and contained within the crystal.
Is Opal magnetic?
Opal isn't magnetic, but iron inclusions may make it exhibit magnetic properties.
In fact, Opal is diamagnetic. This means it is weakly repelled by magnetic fields, making it a popular choice to shield against electromagnetic fields, or EMFs.
Do all Opals glow under blacklight?
Not all Opals glow under blacklight, but many will show some fluorescence under shortwave or longwave UV lamps. This is due to their Uranium inclusions.
The rare Hyalite Opal will glow just with sunlight. This is called daylight fluorescence.
What is the Opal curse?
The Opal curse was a widely held superstitious belief that Opals would bring unwanted energy. Here are some theories on why Opal got such a bad reputation:
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In 1929, Sir Walter Scott's novel Anne of Geierstein writes about the heroine, Lady Hermione, who wears an Opal with supernatural powers. But when a drop of holy water touches the Opal, it loses its color, spark, leading to the heroine's death.
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Diamond traders in the 19th century fueled the fire about Opal's curse to increase the demand for their own gemstones.
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Opal easily dries out and fractures, so before modern treatment methods, the breakages were considered a curse.
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The outbreak of the Black Plague was rumored to have been caused by a patient who died because the color in her Opal disappeared.
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Opals looked like the "Evil Eye" with its flashing inclusions
As many stories as there are of Opal's curse, there are just as many positive stories of Opal's healing qualities. In crystal healing, we know that Opal is a lightworker and shines for all of us healers!
What chakra is Opal?
Because of its many colors, Opal is associated with many chakras. You can find an Opal for each of your seven major chakras!
To learn more about crystals and your chakras, visit the Chakra Guide.
Magical Opal Incantation
This is a message from Opal from Doreen Virtue and Judith Lukomski's book "Crystal Therapy":
"As ever changing as sand shifting on the beach, I'm light reflecting light. I offer you harmony, radiance in all your aspects, and light in darkness (just as the day cycles from sunlight to moonlight) in order to create the perfect alignment of thought and action. Will you accept this gift? Emotions intensify with me, for I see your passion and enhance the releasement of lingering patterns. My activation dissipates karmic ties and produces the desire to let go of old wounds. As you claim the Divine power within, so shall your life reflect light and embrace the tender strength of true love. Begin with self-acceptance and patience in order to harmonize the embodiment of male and female within all."
What does Opal mean in divination?
Drawing Opal in a gemstone divination session means:
It is time to break through the creativity barriers
Use Opal to work through your issues hindering your creativity. Once you identify the blockages, you can use Opal to lead you on the right path, utilizing your talents to achieve your destiny in this life.
Is my Opal treated?
Many Opals are treated to enhance their stability and color. Here are some treatment methods you may find:
Doublets & Triplets: A thin layer of Precious Opal is glued to an artificial dark backing, like Common Opal, ironstone, or glass, to enhance the vibrancy of the colors.
Dying: Porous Opals take well to dye. Bright purple and pink Opals are commonly dyed as they don't occur naturally.
Impregnation Treatment: An Opal is filled with oil, wax, or plastic to increase its stability.
Sugar Acid Treatment: An Opal is soaked in sugar-water and then in sulphuric acid. This process turns the white stone black, intensifying the contrast between the body and color play.
Smoky Treatment: An Opal is wrapped in paper, heated in an enclosed container, then cooled and washed to intensify its colors.
To determine if your Opal is fake or real, watch the video (coming soon).
Which wrist should you wear Opal on?
At Satin Crystals, we believe that as long as the crystal is in your aura, it will be providing you with positive benefits. That being said, some people like to wear jewelry according to their dominant vs non-dominant hands.
Read more about the different energies this provides in the Ultimate Bracelet Guide.
Is Opal a birthstone?
Opal is the birthstone for October. So is Tourmaline! Find out more in Birthstones by Month and Sign.
Who should not wear Opal?
There is some superstition that only those who are born in October should wear this birthstone, but the energy of Opal is for all. Opal is great for everyone to wear.
That being said, if you have an active lifestyle, Opal may not be a durable choice.
Where is the best place to put Opal?
You should place Opal in the New Beginnings & Family or Children, Joy & Future areas of your space, according to the Feng Shui map.
Use Opal as an inspirational muse wherever you pursue your creative goals, like an art studio or writing desk.
Opal is great for children's rooms to nurture their imagination and bring them joy.
For more on placing crystals, visit How to Clear & Fill the Home with Crystals.
How do you meditate with Opal?
To meditate with your Opal crystals, program them for your intention. Hold, wear, and surround yourself with the stones during your meditation.
Need help meditating? We have recorded a Guided Opal Meditation for you to follow along (coming soon).
Should you sleep with Opal?
Yes, you can sleep with Opal if you are seeking its soothing energies during your astral travels throughout the night. Place the stones at your bedside or under the bed.
If you don't move around in your sleep, you can even wear jewelry or place tumbled stones under your pillow. Polished pieces will be better if you anticipate nightly movement.
Opal is also a dream recall stone. Use it upon waking to help decipher dream symbolism in your conscious mind.
What does broken Opal mean?
If you want to know the metaphysical meaning of broken stones, visit Broken Crystal Meanings.
A broken Opal may indicate that it's time for a new one!
Where can I buy Opal online?
Opal is a mesmerizing addition to your collection. Shop the Opal Collection on the website or here on the blog:
Continue your Crystal Journey
Continue learning and discovering the joys of Opal.
Opal Shopping Guides
Opal Reference Guides
Helpful Crystal Resources
Do you love Opal?
How do you feel about Opal? Do you have a favorite type? Have you done any healing work with this stone?
We'd love to hear your stories or answer any questions you may have about Opal. Contact us below and we'll get back to you.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for entertainment only. See full disclosure.
