Opal

If ever there was a rock to symbolize the beauty in chaos, opal is it. Structureless, inconsistent, unpredictable: All of these are words geologists use to describe this shimmering stone. Because it has no crystal structure and lacks a specific chemical formula, some don’t even consider it a true mineral at all. And because of their chaotic composition, some opals are at risk of a condition called “crazing,” where anything from a vibration to a temperature change or even drying out too quickly results in random and unpredictable cracking. But what opals are best known and most prized for is something that occurs only in precious, gem-quality specimens. Officially termed “play of color,” you’ll know it as those gorgeous, bright, fiery flashes and rainbow shimmers that come out to dance in the light. What makes opal chaotic, unstructured, unpredictable, and cracked, in other words, is the very thing that makes it so beautiful and precious. If you yourself sometimes feel chaotic or even a bit crazed, opal is here to tell you that it makes you no less valuable as a person. In fact, it could be the very thing that makes you more so.