Opals and Madame Maxime

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 48314

When I was little, I had a friend named Opal.  Her birthday was in October, 
so that was also her birthstone.  My mom told me that it is supposed to be 
unlucky to wear opals if they are not your birthstone--a shame, because I 
thought they were so pretty, and my birthstone is peridot, which I don't like 
too much.

So here's what I found when I searched for opals on Google:

The reputation of opal as an unlucky stone is partly recent, grown out of the 
dislike of gem-setters of a century ago in working with the difficult and 
brittle stone. During the Crusades, women would bestow a gem on their love to 
bring good fortune in battle and a safe return. But if an opal given as a 
love token split or cracked, not an unheard of accident for such brittle 
stones, this was a sign of bad luck and possibly that the owner had been 
unfaithful.  Perhaps the opal necklace was cursed by a wizard whose spouse 
had been unfaithful.

To the Greeks, opals symbolized hope, innocence, purity, and fidelity. They 
were believed to benefit eyesight and memory.  There are a lot of "eye" 
connectons to the opal.  Some believe the name "opal" was derived from the 
Greek word for eye, "ophthalmos." According to Plato’s Republic, an opal ring 
turned inward to the palm made the wearer invisible, and so it was referred 
to as the "Stone of Thieves."  According to medieval folklore, gazing upon 
opal was supposed to be good for the eyes.  Opal is said to be useful in 
enhancing the inner vision of seers and is excellent for meditation and 
divination.

Arabs believed that opals fell from Heaven in flashes of lightning. Opals 
were considered a protector from lightning.  The Egyptians and Babylonians 
held opal in high esteem as a powerful protective amulet against disease and 
referred to it as the “Gem of the Gods.”  Opals were once said to bring good 
fortune because they possessed the colors, and therefore all the powers, of 
all gemstones.  



A New Age belief is that opals are the repositories of large amounts of 
energy. Those who are unable to direct such energies should not wear them, 
and they are not recommended for teenagers. Fire opals in particular should 
never be worn by volatile people who suppress their feelings. 

Many say that an opal has a soul of their very own, and it attunes it’s soul 
to that of the person who wears it.     



I hope the cursed opal necklace isn't a sign of bad things to come with 
Madame Maxime.  IMO, she's the most interesting female character JKR has 
introduced yet.  I like to think that Madame Maxime wears opals because she's 
a beautiful, powerful. eclectic woman, and a Libra.  Libras are very elegant, 
refined, and charming.  I think that fits Madame Maxime to a tee.  They are 
also supposed to be romantics. I'll be happy if she and Hagrid finally get 
together.  Maybe some of her good fashion sense can rub off on him too.  ;)

Audra


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