In medieval times, the opal was thought to bring great luck, possessing all the virtues of the various gemstones, thanks to the color play. It was believed that if you wrapped an opal stone in a fresh bay leaf, it could make you invisible. However, in Victorian times, the 1829 novel “Anne of Geierstein,” by Sir Walter Scott made the opal disreputable, described as a talisman that turned to colorless stone when touched by holy water—an event that killed the wearer. After his novel was published, the opal was believed to be a symbol of bad luck and death, and sales in Europe diminished. Even in the early 20th century, fear and suspicion of the stone lingered, particularly with Russians, who thought the stone embodied the evil eye. That is perhaps why the opal appears in so few of the great jewelry collections of the 20th century. The rebellious Art Nouveau artisans, though, rejected Victorian conventions and embraced the “organic” look of opal cabochons, which worked well with their insect motifs and elaborate enamel work. Opals, being soft and subdued, are nearly the opposite of diamonds, with their hardness, brilliance, and fire. Yet these two stones complement each other well, particularly when a large opal cabochon is set within a protective ring of small, faceted diamonds. Cartier made two pearl necklaces for Barbara Hutton featuring such opal-and-diamond clasps. One featured two rows of golden cultured pearls, and she would often wear this necklace with her beloved ruby and diamond tiara. The other was used on a strand of pearls once worn by Marie Antoinette and given to Hutton in 1933 by her father on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Alexis Mdivani. Synthetic composite opals come in two forms: doublets and triplets. Doublets have an outer layer of precious opal, but a base of potch opal, whereas a triplet has a base of common opal, a thin layer of precious opal, and a protective covering of rock crystal. These composites can be identified by looking at them side-on with a magnifying glass. In 1973, Gilson, the French company that developed imitation turquoise, also created imitation opal in the lab with nice iridescence but clearly fake color patterning. In the United States, John Slocum made a tough glass that resembled opal, but it lacked the texture of opal and looked crumpled under magnification. The cheapest fake opal around is made of polystryrene latex, which has a milky bluish sheen. The most important factor in determining the quality of a piece of opal is the brightness and evenness of color. To check, turn the stone 360 degrees and make sure the iridescent color appears all across the surface, with no “dead” zones. For what it’s worth, “opalescence” is an incorrect term to apply to an opal; it refers to the the bluish-white shimmer, or “shiller,” on other gemstones, such as the moonstone. Opals that have been drilled are more prone to dehydration, but it is possible to restore a dried-out opal by submerging it in water. Some evaporation is inevitable over time, but you can slow it by storing your opals in moist cotton balls. Opals are particular sensitive to perfume, soaps, and detergents, so opal necklaces and rings should be removed when washing or grooming.