October birthstone
Being a vibrant time of the year, the middle of autumn is symbolized by outstanding jewels – opal and tourmaline. Like an October forest, each birthstone option for this month comes in the picturesque color palette.Let`s look closer at them here!
Why should I know my birthstone?
Opals, the gemstones worth your attention
Here are some curious facts about opals:
In Bedouin culture, people believed that opal can hold lightning during the thunderstorms. In their turn, Australian aborigines saw in opals the footprints of God.
Ancient Greeks thought that owing an opal can gift prophecy. When Greece became a part of the Roman Empire, it was already associated with love and hope.
Pluni, the famous Roman scholar, was deeply impressed by the intense and rich color of opals. He thought it’s worth being painted and described in poems. And everything happened as he wanted: many artists wrote that the play of color in opal gemstone can be compared with magical galaxies and picturesque fireworks.
For years, October people wore opals to protect themselves from demons and human stupidity. In the case of blonde women, this multicolor birthstone has an additional power to save the hair tone.
On the one hand, opal was a long-term symbol of purity, faithfulness, and wisdom in European culture. On another hand, many people were afraid of this jewel because it resembled the eyes of “demon” animals. All in all, opals remained in the history of Europe as the symbol of innocence, purity, and hope.
With time, many beliefs about opals appeared. It became connected with easier childbirth, higher morale, and starting romantic relations.
Among the supernatural and unbelievable abilities of opals, some people believed that wearing these gems will make them invisible and gift limitless power.
Among the top fans of opals, Queen Victoria was choosing them on a regular basis. She had a complete personal collection.
The center of opal mining is Australia. The country even turned opals into its national gemstone. Different parts of Australia are for different opals: NSW state is good for black jewels, while Queensland and South Australia are the birthplace of white opals. In addition to this, October birthstone can be found in Africa (Ethiopia and Madagascar) and America (Mexico, Peru and Brazil especially). Also, opals are mined in Central Europe and Indonesia.
Tourmaline stone, an alternative October birthstone
Here are some interesting facts about tourmaline stone:
According to Egyptian legends about tourmaline, it first traveled around the rainbow and then learned to represent all its hues.
The most popular colors of tourmaline include cranberry red, bubblegum pink, canary yellow, grass green, ocean blue, and deep violet. In such a rainbow color range of tourmaline stone, the most precious ones are neon green and bluish violet hues. And of course, the precious gemstone will have two or three color in one.
Once, a Spanish conquistador found a tourmaline stone of a stunning green color and confused it with an emerald. Everybody who saw this jewel shared this belief for centuries.
Dutch merchants were the first people to introduce the word “tourmaline” as a term to represent the special jewels they found in Sri Lanka.
To be considered perfect, both tourmalines and opals should demonstrate all the shades a gemstone can have.
In terms of extraordinary abilities of tourmaline, it strengthens health condition of the owner. Especially, it improves nervous system and blood circulation. As for mental abilities, tourmaline boosts creativity and enhances spirituality. That’s the reason why it became a talisman for artists. Generally, tourmaline is associated with happiness, compassion, and spiritality.
It’s believed that keeping a green tourmaline can improve your financial situation. In fact, among the most expensive types of tourmaline, there are blue indicolite, green verdelite and pink rubellite.
To find tourmaline, head to Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa, and USA. Also, they are mined in Australia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Siberia, and Madagascar.
The chemistry behind precious jewels
How to take care of the birthstone jewelry
- On the Mohs scale, opals have 5.5 points only. This makes this gemstone highly sensitive to physical harm from other jewels. To prevent this from happening, store your precious gift separately.
- It’s important not to store opals in air tight containers. If they become dry, they are covered by the web of cracks. The same effect can appear with high temperature and low humidity, so consider the climate specifics before wearing your opals jewelry.
- It’s forbidden to apply on opal ultrasonic cleaners. They can crack the jewel.
- The hardness of tourmaline stone is around 7 Mohs, which is makes it more suitable for everyday wear than an opal.
- Try to heat or cool your tourmaline a bit – and you’ll see an electric change.
- No matter how many colors an opal or a tourmarine has, choose only the one that touches your heart.
Some questions about precious jewelry are still left? Contact Diamond Registry experts, and we’ll be happy to help you to take care of your diamonds!