A stone called Ophthalmus … Patron of Thieves
Some things need to be revisited because one … the database is
only so big … and two … each visitation-- like each new reading
of a once read novel–brings with it views we hadn’t seen before. Or
something like that. Whatever.
If thou wilt be invisible …take the stone called Ophthalmus and
wrap it in Laurel leaf … or Bay tree leaf … and carry this in
thy hand … and thou wilt be made invisible by it. And thee …
dear reader … as thou readest this paraphrase of a snippet of “The
Book of Secrets of Albertus Magnus” … dost thou wonder at the
attraction of the Ophthalmus by thieves? Liveth there a robber on
this green earth who would not want to be invisible? Liveth there a
soul–in fact–that doth not yearn for the cloak of invisibility?
Albertus Magnus was an alchemist and writer. The account above
written as a treatise of the History and Mysteries of Precious Opals
represents one of the popular beliefs of the late 13th century. Many
other magical properties were attributed to this gem … also known
as the Patron of Thieves. It protected against diseases of the eyes.
Romans considered it the queen of gems … beloved by the gods
…especially Venus and her son Cupid. And why not? This stone is
considered to have the fire of the ruby … the rich purple of the
amethyst … the sea green of the emerald … the blue of the
sapphire … all this combined in a single gem.
Now … if that gem is a Black Opal … or a Semi-Black Opal …
then we’re talking breathless brilliance. Okay … quick quiz folks.
Ready? Why … pray tell dear reader … why oh why is the Opal the
birthstone for October? Hmm? Anybody out there know? Oh you lucky
lucky dudes. I yam here to edumacate you.
It started in 18th century Poland … when Poles … whilst
strolling down the Autumnal avenues … noted with awe how the
colors of the Opal were reminiscent of the way the sky and the earth
vied with each other for supremacy in the creation of the glorious
brilliance of an October day.
And so … I offer you a 164.79 carat dark opal so breathtakingly
brilliant as to take away one’s appetite. Fortunately … this
condition rarely lasts beyond dinner time … so the chances of
expiring due to the overwhelming properties of this stone are slim.
One needs to thank one’s fates for insuring we are not overexposed
to rare beauty … for it becomes eminently apparent to any thinking
person that it is thanks to ugliness that we are each and every one
able to maintain our equilibrium. Long live ugliness, I say. Hip hip
…
The spectacular natural solid opal you are all about to see displays
the full spectrum of rainbow colors. It was found in Lightning
Ridge, in New South Wales, Australia and was carved into its present
free form shape. I paraphrase: " … it’s free form shape dazzles
the eye with a kaleidoscope of colors that cavort across the
undulating surface of the gem." Now I want to tell you something …
that may indeed be some opal … but whoever wrote that last little
bit ain’t no slouch either.
That said … before I go cavorting around the house with ecstatic
undulating glee over the knowledge that I’ve finished Tidbits for
the week and it’s only Wednesday … may I bid you all a good night.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Opal …
where you will see a graphic of our stone.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all
next week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel – 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail: webmaster@tyler-adam.com