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HOME :
Modern Jewelry :
Opal Pendants : Carved Lavendar Opal Depicting Leda And The Swan
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Carved Lavendar Opal Depicting Leda And The Swan - FJ.4201
Origin: Australia
Collection: Opal Pendant
Medium: Opal/Gold
Additional Information: Seoul
$6,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Radiating a colorful fire from deep
within, the opal has been prized since
antiquity. Within its depths one sees
the rich variety of colors for which
other gems are famed: the purple of
amethyst, the red of ruby, the sea
green of emerald, as well as gold and
silver. The matrix for these sparks
ranges in hue from milky white to
bright blue to black. Mines in Hungary
have produced fine opals since the
Middle Ages, but the best modern
source for the gem is considered to be
Australia. The name of the gem is said
to derive from the word ophthalmius,
pertaining to the eye, and the stone
is valued for its ability to avert
evil. In the East, opals are much
sought after as amulets to protect the
wearer from disease. The stone is also
said to improve the eyesight. Any
person gazing upon this brilliant gem
will be rewarded with beauty.
Leda, beautiful wife of the King of
Sparta, attracted the attention of
Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. One
clay while Leda was bathing on the
banks of a river, Zeus changed himself
into a swan and seduced her. The same
night, she lay with her husband. As a
result, two eggs were produced. From
one emerged the mortals Castor and
Clytemnestra, while from the other
came the demi-gods Pollux and Helen,
later to be the cause of the Trojan
War. The myth of Leda and the Swan has
been a favorite theme with artists
since antiquity.
- (FJ.4201)
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