Amethyst & Opal

Amethyst & Opal are ancient gems that harness the energy of our ancestors. Each stones history is interesting and varied with many cultures over time connecting to the stones energy. These creation tales are what drew us in and have inspired this collection of jewels. We want to share with you a few of our favorite myths...

O P A L

- Legends of the Australian aborigines say the Creator came down to Earth on a rainbow in order to bring the message of peace to all humankind. At the very spot where his foot touched the ground, the stones came alive and began to sparkle in all the colors of the rainbow, and this was the birth of Opals.

- The Arabian nomads believed Opals were magic stones sent from heaven, infused with lightning, and fell from the sky during thunderstorms.

- In Hindu legend, the first Opal was created when the Mother Goddess changed the Virgin Goddess of the Rainbow into an Opal because the gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu were pursuing her. Only on rare occasions does her rainbow self appear through the clouds and become visible.

- Because Opal contained the color of all gems, the Romans thought it was the most precious and powerful of all, possessing the virtues of all the gemstones whose colors reside within it.

photographer: Keith Ketchum
model: Taelor May

AMETHYST

- The use of Amethyst can be traced as far back as 25,000 B.C. to the Neolithic people in Europe.

- According to Ovid, the Roman poet, Amethyst was a nymph pursued by Bacchus. Desperate to escape him, she called on the goddess Diana who rescued her by transforming her into a shiny stone of “pure, cold crystal.” Furious, Bacchus threw his glass filled with wine on the stone giving it its purple color

- Amethyst, listed as the twelfth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem, was considered by some to be inscribed with the name of the apostle Matthew, and was emblematic of his conversion and sobriety.

- In the Egyptian book of the dead, instructions are given for placing heart shaped amethysts on the body of the deceased.