Women’s October Birthstone

The month of October is a popular month for jewelry and accessories. While there are many popular birthstones available, two of the most famous are opal and pink tourmaline. These gemstones are unique and are available in many colors. In some cases, the pink tourmalines are almost as transparent as diamonds. The opal is a very unique stone and is often prized as a specimen stone. It is the most fragile of gemstones and requires special care.

When it comes to birthstones, Women with an October birthday and an opal birthstone should consider themselves quite fortunate. The eye-catching and iridescent opal is the birthstone for October. The stone is stunning in a variety of jewelry styles and settings. It can be encrusted with diamonds or worn alone as a spectacular item.

Women’s October Birthstone

The October birthstone, opal, is one of the most colorful of all gemstones. Its vivid colors have even caused some to mistake it for rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. In fact, a famous tourmaline belonging to Russian empress Catherine the Great was mistaken for a ruby. The name ‘tourmaline’ is derived from the Singhalese word ‘tourmal’, which means “stripey” and refers to the gemstone’s beauty. The opal birthstone is the stone of love. It is also the birthstone of the month of October. It is a popular choice for jewelry. It is a great gift for a woman who celebrates her birthday on the 14th day. And if you can’t decide between black or white, you can buy opal earrings! Its stunning color will be the talk of any party.

The newer October birthstone, tourmaline, is a multicolored gem that has rainbow-like flashes. It is the only birthstone with multiple colors, and it inspires artistic expression. The colors of tourmaline are so varied that there are no two identical stones. The name ‘tourmaline’ comes from the Sinhalese word ‘toramalli’. It is very colorful, often displaying many colors in one crystal. This is the main reason why few other gems can match its dazzling color array. Tourmaline was also thought to inspire artistic expression and creativity, so ancient mystics used it as a symbol for creativity. Popular tourmaline colors include the pink and red rubellites, the emerald green ‘chrome’ tourmaline, the neon green ‘paraiba’, and the blue to violet “paraiba” tourmaline.

History And Meaning Of The Opal Birthstone

People have admired opals for their value and rarity throughout history. The jewel was once linked with royalty in Europe. Opals were considered to fall from the sky during thunderstorms with lightning, according to the Bedouins.

Opals are now associated with honesty, purity, and hope by many people. Some people believe that because the gem can pick up light, it can also pick up feelings and ideas. The birthstone of October can also be offered as a 14th wedding anniversary gift.

In the nineteenth century, explorers discovered a wide area in Australia with several deposits. Many people used to believe that Ervenica, Slovakia was the sole place to get the October birthstone. Since the 1970s, people have been manufacturing opal in laboratories.

Where Is Opal Found?

Opal is a birthstone that may be found in a variety of settings. The Australian fields are the world’s most productive for the October birthstone. Ethiopia, Mexico, and Brazil are other significant contributors. Central Europe, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Peru, Turkey, and the United States have all discovered further deposits.

Lightning Ridge, a small hamlet in the Australian state of New South Wales, is known for producing valuable black opal. Lightning Ridge, a barren and rocky terrain softened only by small trees and scrub brush, receives little rain and bakes in the sweltering summer heat. Because the temperature is so harsh, miners frequently live underground to escape the oppressive heat.

Other kinds of the October birthstone can also be found in Australia. White opal can be discovered in New South Wales’ White Cliffs region, as well as in South Australia’s Mintabie, Andamooka, and Coober Pedy. Only one site on the planet produces boulder opal, which is mined in Queensland. The birthstone for October is found near the town of Wegel Tena in Wollo Province, Ethiopia. Miners extract opal from shafts excavated into the edge of a plateau 340 miles (550 kilometers) north of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 meters). The body colors of the gems found here range from white to yellow to orange to brownish red to “chocolate” brown. Play-of-color is visible in several of the opals.

Querétero, a Mexican state, is notable for producing fire opal in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, and reddish-orange to red, with some having good play-of-color. The mines are a tourist attraction, and getting there means driving through deep pine and oak forests, across scrubby plateaus of cacti and bushes, and up twisting mountain slopes on a dirt road.

What Is Opal Made Of?

When not made by people, pressure, minerals, and time help shape these beautiful stones, as they do with most gemstones. Water brings silica deposits from local stone, such as sandstone, with it as it flows downhill through the earth. Until the water evaporates, this silica-rich slurry combines with natural things like fossils. It subsequently leaves a silica deposit behind, and opal is formed after several repeats of this process.

What Color Is October Birthstone Jewelry?

October’s birthstone is black opal, which is the rarest color. Green and grey are the most popular colors, according to experts. The blue, yellow, and pink iridescence of precious opal catches the light and makes it stand out. The gemstone’s natural silica chips refract light, causing it to bounce off in beautiful colors. Depending on the light source, these can range from cold tones like blue to scorching tones like orange. Common opals (also known as “potch”), on the other hand, lack this iridescent characteristic.

History and Meaning of the Tourmaline Birthstone

Tourmaline, which comes in a rainbow of colors to suit any mood, has long been thought to promote artistic expression. The stone, according to Egyptian legend, traveled through a rainbow on its approach to the Earth’s surface, taking on all of its colors. The tourmaline is still known as the “rainbow gemstone,” because its diverse hues represent different characteristics. Green is connected with courage and strength, whereas pink is associated with love, kindness, and compassion.

The birthstone for October is tourmaline, which is a newer birthstone. Because it often contains several hues in one crystal, the name toramalli derives from the Sinhalese word toramalli, which means “stone with mixed colors.” Few gems can rival the tourmaline’s rainbow of colors. Perhaps this is why ancient mystics thought the October birthstone might inspire artistic expression because it comes in a variety of colors to suit any mood. Pink and crimson rubellites, emerald green “chrome” tourmalines, and neon green and blue-to-violet “paraba” tourmalines are among the most popular.

Tourmaline was frequently mistaken for other gemstones because of its wide range of colors. The “Caesar’s Ruby” pendant, one of the “rubies” in the Russian crown jewels, is actually a red (rubellite) tourmaline. In the 1500s, a Spanish conquistador discovered green tourmaline crystals in Brazil and mistook them for emerald. These and other incidents of misidentification persisted for centuries until scientists in the 1800s recognized tourmaline as a separate mineral species.

Tourmaline has its own set of healing powers. Black tourmaline is thought to protect the wearer and instill self-assurance. Pink tourmaline is associated with love, compassion, and kindness. Courage, strength, and stamina are all enhanced by green tourmaline. The eighth wedding anniversary is commemorated with the gift of a tourmaline.

Where Is Tourmaline Found?

Brazil is the most common source of this October birthstone, but it is also mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique (among other countries in Africa). In the United States, California and Maine have historically been key producers of exquisite tourmaline.

The majority of tourmaline mined in Brazil has originated from pegmatites in the state of Minas Gerais over the ages. A virtual rainbow of gem minerals can be found in these subsurface magma intrusions. Electric green, blue, and violet tourmalines from pegmatites in Brazil’s Paraba State, on the other hand, hit the gem market in the late 1980s. The strong hues were discovered to be created by trace levels of copper, which had never been seen as a coloring factor in any other tourmaline before. Paraba-type copper-bearing tourmalines were also identified in Mozambique and Nigeria in the early 2000s. Because of their bright colors, higher color saturation, and greater rarity, the best Paraba and Paraba-type tourmalines easily outperform other tourmalines in terms of price.

Pegmatite districts can be found in Southern California and Maine in the United States. They’ve been producing enormous amounts of tourmaline on an intermittent basis for more than a century. Two young lads exploring the region around Mount Mica in Paris discovered Maine’s first big tourmaline deposit in 1820. Even now, a quarry on Mount Mica produces varied colors of gem tourmaline on a seasonal basis. The Dunton mine, located near Plumbago Mountain, is Maine’s most prolific tourmaline producer.

The Himalaya pegmatite in the Mesa Grande district, famous for producing exquisite rubellite, became California’s first commercial tourmaline mine in 1898. Between 1902 and 1910, San Diego mines delivered 120 tonnes of gem rubellite to Imperial China to satisfy Empress Dowager Cixi’s fascination with the brilliant color. The era of tourmaline mining in California came to an end with the death of Cixi in 1908 and the following collapse of the Qing Empire. Only a few mines in San Diego County produce gem-quality tourmaline these days.

What Is Tourmaline Made Of?

Tourmaline is produced in pegmatites. These are voids deep beneath the earth’s surface that are filled with a rich hot liquid rich in various minerals. The minerals crystallise and form Tourmaline crystals as the liquids cool. Granite or schists serve as the host rock for these pegmatites. Some species can also be found growing in metamorphic rocks like marble. The inclusions can contain small amounts of liquid trapped inside the stone because they originate in a liquid-rich environment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, October birthdays are commemorated with the birthstones opal and tourmaline, which are both stunning. Both October birthstones feature a wide range of color combinations and attractive coloration. Discover the ideal present for folks born in the tenth month by learning more about these two October birthstones.

You might be motivated to add these two October birthstones to your collection now that you know a little more about their history and where they can be located! However, before you go out shopping for an October birthstone, take a look at our Opal Buying Guide and Tourmaline Buying Guide for helpful hints on selecting a lovely October birthstone. Both of these birthstones are available in a wide range of colors that are guaranteed to please you or a loved one born in October.