Sep
October has two traditional birthstones – opal and tourmaline – and not everyone realises just how much each of these gemstones has to offer in terms of beauty, personality and individuality. In contrast to many other gemstones, opal displays an endless variety of colour combinations. Tourmaline, on the other hand, displays the largest array of colours among all natural gemstones. These characteristics mean that those celebrating their October birthday have numerous options when selecting birthstone jewellery. Let’s take a deeper look.
What Is October’s Birthstone?
October’s traditional birthstones are opal and tourmaline. While both have been valued as gems for centuries, their origins and composition are vastly different.
In addition to being prized for its colour-changing capabilities (known as “play-of-colour”), opal is also known for its iridescent sheen that appears as flashes of various colours across the surface of the stone as it moves under the light. On the other hand, due to its vast array of possible colours (including blue, red, green and black), tourmaline is considered one of the most colourful gemstones in existence. Due to the large array of colours present in both opal and tourmaline, October birthstone jewellery can reflect your personal style and preferences in all kinds of ways.
The Meaning Of Opal
Due to its ever-changing colour effects, our first October birthstone has developed a mystical and enchanting reputation over time. Historically, it was believed by the ancient Romans that Opal possessed qualities of hope and purity. Additionally, due to its ability to produce a wide range of colours, it has come to be associated with qualities such as creativity, imagination and emotional expression. Therefore, for an individual born in October who values their uniqueness, opal would be an excellent choice. Since no two opals are identical, each will feature its own distinctive colours and patterns.
The Meaning Of Tourmaline
Traditionally, tourmaline has been associated with attributes such as balance, compassion and emotional resilience. Each variation of our second October birthstone represents a specific symbolic meaning based on the colours present in the stone. Pink tourmaline is commonly associated with qualities such as love, kindness and connection to others through emotions. Green tourmaline represents qualities related to life force energy, growth, vitality and renewal. One of the most pleasing aspects of tourmaline is that there is no universal look or style for this gemstone; rather, each person can select a stone that is representative of themselves. This provides individuals with a lot of flexibility to develop custom jewellery designs featuring their October birthstone.
Why Opal & Tourmaline Make Great Jewellery Choices
Opal is primarily recognised for its play-of-colour (the flashing colours displayed in an iridescent manner). The colours that flash in an opal include blue, green, yellow, orange and red. There can be a significant variation in the intensity and pattern of the colour display depending upon the opal, which contributes to its unique character. Some types of opals have a white or dark body colour in addition to their colour display. The latter can serve as a background to accentuate the colours that flash in a dark-coloured body opal. Fire opal is a third type of opal and is characterised by warm colours such as yellow, orange and reddish hues.
The greatest diversity of colour is present in tourmaline. It can be found in a range of colours including green, pink, red, blue, yellow and black. Many tourmalines contain multiple colours within a single crystal. For example, watermelon tourmaline is a popular type of tourmaline featuring pink and green colours side-by-side. Colour, clarity, cut and overall appearance contribute significantly to both the quality and value of any of the stones. Given that the quality and arrangement of an opal’s colour display are critical factors contributing to its value, this characteristic alone adds some complexity when considering an opal for October birthstone jewellery.
Bespoke October Birthstone Jewellery
A bespoke piece of commissioned October birthstone jewellery from Bonds the Jewellers gives you the opportunity to create something that is genuinely unique for yourself or somebody close to you. Whether you choose an opal with a particularly beautiful play-of-colour or a tourmaline in a favourite shade, you can determine exactly what kind of materials and design you’re after to create a piece wholly unique to you. If you want to pick out the gemstone yourself, you can head on over to UK Gemstones and find the perfect stone for your unique piece.
