Rock Crystal 11x40mm Faceted Marquise

White and crystal opal, each bead flashing its own way.

Hold a strand of white Welo to a window and the beads read like frosted glass, until one turns and a patch of green lifts out of it, then orange, then blue. The crystal beads go further: bodies close to colorless, with the color floating inside, so you look through the bead and into the flash at the same time. No two match, even on one strand. Makers reach for them because each bead behaves differently in the light of a room.

Opal carried meaning in ancient Rome, where it stood for love and hope, and the Roman name opalus was used as a word for precious stone in general. In 75 AD Pliny wrote that some opals hold a play of color equal to the deepest and richest colors of painters, while others seem to hold the flaming fire of burning sulphur or the bright blaze of burning oil. Later collectors gave great opals names of their own: Pandora, Light of the World, Empress. Writers have compared the stone to volcanoes, galaxies and fireworks. Opal is the October birthstone, and tradition ties it to hope.

Beliefs about stones are tradition, not advice. Watch the film and read the full story.