Birthstones are gemstones that represent the month of a person’s birth – possessing attributes that are unique to each gemstone, the countless myths and legends associated with them appeal to audiences around the world.
Fine jewellery and engagement ring experts at Steven Stone have revealed everything you need to know about October’s birthstones, Opal and Tourmaline – two gemstones that are known for their endless colour combinations.
What do we know about Opal?
Opal is a beautiful, shimmering gemstone that’s well-known for its kaleidoscope-like appearance with flashes of blue, green, orange, and red that give the stone its play-of-color identity. It formed millions of years ago in arid desert areas.
There are two classes of opals—precious and common. Precious opals display the dazzling play-of-colour, while common opals don’t. Opals can range from opaque to translucent to transparent.
Almost all the world’s opals are mined in Australia – the continent is responsible for 97% of the world’s opal supply. Opals can also be created synthetically in a lab, though lab grown opals can easily be told apart from natural opals – this is due to the synthesis of opals in a lab, which creates a regular pattern that can be seen under a microscope.
Opals were a favourite stone of Queen Victoria. It’s also the stone given to celebrate the 14th year of marriage.
What does Opal symbolise?
The Ancient Greeks and Romans each had their own ideas about the opal gemstone’s unique abilities. Opals were considered to give the power of prophecy and protection against sickness by the ancient Greeks. Opal has long been considered a sign of purity, optimism, and truth by Europeans. In Ancient Rome, the popular gemstone was associated with optimism and love. The opal symbolises trust and fidelity. The stones are worn to ward off evil and safeguard the eyes.
Although beliefs emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries that opals were a cause of bad luck (mainly based on a fictitious tale including a magical opal), the stone has since reclaimed its image as a source of positivity and creativity.
Opal is currently revered for its ability to foster creativity and intellectual prowess, guard against sickness, and serve as a symbol of hope and truth.
What do we know about Tourmaline?
Tourmaline is the most multi-coloured mineral type known, occurring in virtually every colour of the spectrum. Individual stones are often multi-coloured and are unsurpassed in their beauty.
Believed to inspire creativity, Tourmaline is renowned as the gem of sensitive poets and creative artists. Shakespeare even had a small collection of tourmaline jewelry to help him overcome writer’s block.
Tourmaline is traditionally presented to mark the seventh wedding anniversary.
What does Tourmaline symbolise?
Tourmaline is linked to emotions and the heart chakra. Signifying love and emotional healing, tourmaline comes in a variety of colors, with each color having its own meanings and effect on a person.
The rarest member of the tourmaline family is the pink tourmaline – worn to promote sympathy towards others, the stone represents a love of humanity and humanitarianism and is highly valued by those in need of emotional healing.
Thought to protect the wearer and provide self-confidence, black tourmaline is a stone of purification – it cleanses the emotional body of negative thoughts, anxieties, anger, or feelings of unworthiness.
Green tourmaline carries energies of protection and purification – it encourages bravery, strength, and endurance.
If you’re looking for some jewellery inspiration, why not take a look at our full collection? Whether you’re after a necklace or some diamond earrings, we’ve got you covered. We also have a vast range of engagement and wedding rings.
If you don’t see anything that takes your fancy, we also offer a bespoke service, where our designers will create a unique piece of jewellery that ticks all the boxes.
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