a pink opal wand

Pink opal generally comes from Peru, but there may be small desposits in other areas of central and South America.  What gives it its pink color is quinones, which come from oxidized plant matter.

Like other types of opal, it is a hydrated silica.  This means that it has a combination water and mineral structure, and is more truly a petrified clump of mineral gel than an actual stone.  Indeed, if you gently tap one with your teeth or fingernail, it will feel not quite stone and not quite plastic.  If you rub it with your dry finger, it “sings” somewhat similarly to jade, but you may notice a kind of thump each time your finger switches directions.

Pink opals don’t produce the “light play” that others do, but they are still quite beautiful in their own way.  They run from opaque to translucent, and are found in a variety of sizes and shades of pink.  Generally, they run from almost creamy beige colored, to fierce baby pink.  There are some though, that look almost pastel mauve.  If you see one darker than that, it may have been dyed.  Because it’s a relatively inexpensive stone, some jewelry manufacturers feel free to dye them to make them more pink.  In my opinion, that is a shame as the variety of shades is what makes them interesting to look at.

Metaphysical/Mystical Properties

The deity that pink opal is most strongly associated with is PachaMama, the indigenous Andean Mother Goddess or maternal aspect of God, depending on your approach to spirituality.  It would therefore also be associated with similarly approached maternal aspects such as Mawu or Mawu-Lisa, Yemaya, Tiamat, Tenet/Tanith, the Soul of the Virgin Mary, or the Holy Spirit.

The astrological sign associated with pink opal is Virgo.  This is contrary to what many say, but it is a pink water silica for crying out loud.  It is a good assistant to affirmation for those born under that sign, but also draws good fortune in romance to Scorpios and Libras born in October.

pink opal "chips" (remnants) beads

Regardless of your sign, wearing pink opal attracts earthy to intellectual dominant people.  That would be 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock on the LaVeyan TSW personality scale.  Dominant women want to put their hands on it.  Dominant men want to touch the person wearing it.  So if you are a 5-7 o’clock, you’ll attract good matches by wearing this stone in plain view.

In crystal therapy, pink opal helps to open the heart and throat chakras, so it helps to relieve stress, especially that caused by a broken heart or unrequited love.  It enables the person to heal or get over their obsession more quickly with a sort of psychological “absorbing” effect.  Indeed opal, like amber, literally absorbs water from who it touches.  So it as if the person is in a way, bleeding their pain to the stone, as if it was kind of a mental bandage.

For the purpose of helping to speed recovery from heartbreak, or lessen the intensity, it should be paired with ruby.  Ruby is like the psychological alcohol of matters of the heart.  It cleans and purifies.  So with pink opal doing the drawing, and ruby doing the cleansing and cauterization, the person can move forward more easily.  If you give them an amulet to wear that has both of these stones in it, even better.  Just remember that the opal needs to be fed water, and the ruby needs to be fed light.

Caring for Your Pink Opal

Pink opals should be stored in a cool, dark place.  Keep your stone in a dark bag to protect it from sunlight, and heat.  It is also easily chipped and scratched by other stones, so it should be in a bag even if you keep your stones in a box.

Every couple of months, let your opal soak in a glass of clear water overnight.  Because of its nature, remember that it absorbs water from anyone it touches, so don’t use it on one person and then another right away.  It should be “cleaned” before it is used on another.  So if you are treating multiple people for romantic issues, then you should have enough for each of them for a month or two month period.