Opals

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 73008

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "KellyWLSC" <kellywlsc at y...> wrote:
> ... CoS ... there is a mention of a magnificent necklace of opals 
> that has a card by it that says it's cursed and has claimed teh 
> lives of 19 Muggle owners to date.  ... Madame Maxime turns up wearing
> a magnificent necklace of opals.  No idea what this means, if anything
> at all, but I thought it was worth mentioning just to see if anyone 
>has any ideas.


bboy_mn:

Opals have a long history of association with magic. For more infor-
http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/stories/sep01/opal.cfm

Three references to Opals-
-Cursed Necklace in Knockturn Alley
-Madame Maxime
-Blood filled vile with large Opal stopper in OoP (in cabinet in Black
house.

The actually was a cursed necklace that kill a dozen people or more. I
haven't read the story recently, but at I remember it someone who was
a Spanish royal or promenent wealthy member of Spanish society had a
beautiful stunning Opal necklace made. The person to who the necklace
was given soon died, and the person who inherited it from her, died
soon after receiving the necklace, and the next person and the next
person each dying in succession soon after receiving the necklace. 

Histories now believe that the first person died from one of the many
plague that ravaged Europe, but not before contaminating the necklace.
The next person to receive the necklace picked up the disease from
handling and wearing it. Eventually, no one claimed it, and it was
stored away, and eventually (I think) lost or lost track of.

Opals-
-Witches and sorcerers supposedly used black opals to increase their
own magical powers or to focus them like laser beams on people they
wanted to harm. 
-Medieval Europeans dreaded the opal because of its resemblance to
"the Evil Eye,
-Opals are supposed to be bad luck. 
-They are also thought to have teleportation powers.
-An opal completely contaminated with evil is believed capable of
maiming or even killing a person foolish enough to wear or own it.

In short, I think that JKR is just carrying on the tradition of
associating magic and witchcraft with opals.

Just a few thoughts.

bboy_mn