FREE: 'Winter's Mist' Hand Beaded 3 in Hair Clip by Izze & co.

The listing, 'Winter's Mist' Hand Beaded 3 in Hair Clip by Izze & co. has ended.

Opal possesses a fascination no other gemstone has. Everything about them is different They have a magnetic warmth in their wonderful glowing colors not found in any other stone while their beauty has stirred the hearts of artistic souls and the passions of mankind for centuries.

Her history goes back to the dawn of time and though not always clearly recorded, she has been there. She was adored by the ancient Romans some 200 years before Christ. Pliny, the roman Historian described the opal in glowing terms. "...for in them you shall see the living fire of the ruby, the glorious purple of the amethyst, the sea green of the emerald, all glittering together in an incredible mixture of light".

The roman Senator, Nonius, owned a beautiful opal that Mark Anthony so dearly wanted to buy as a gift for his lover Cleopatra Under the threat of death to sell, he preferred to exile rather tan part with his precious gem.

The first recorded name being given to the stone was by the Romans when they named it 'Opalus', meaning in part a stone. The Greeks later called it 'Opallos', to see a color change.

The beliefs and ideas surrounding opals were many and varied The Arabians believed that they were magical stones that had fallen from the heavens, while the Orientals believed them to be an 'anchor stone of hope'. Some medieval Europeans attributed them strange powers, such as to make the wearer invisible and to give great insight.

Throughout those long and colorful centuries, this prized and precious stone has been mined in many countries. Possibly the most noted being the famous mines of Hungary and Eastern Czechoslovakia. But is was Australia, the land of the Southern Cross, where this breathtaking queen of gems decided to really make her home; and to hide herself away like a delicate child playing hide and seek throughout the stark beauty of our timeless deserts.