The more recent birthstone for October is tourmaline. Due to the frequent presence of several hues in a single crystal, the term is derived from the Sinhalese word toramalli, which means “stone with mixed colors.” Few gems can rival the stunning variety of colors found in tourmaline. Perhaps for this reason, ancient mystics thought that the birthstone for October could stimulate creative expression. There is a color scheme for each mood. The pink and red rubellites, the emerald green “chrome tourmalines, and the neon green and blue-to-violet “paraba tourmalines are among the most well-liked varieties.
Tourmaline’s wide range of colors led to frequent confusion with other gemstones.
The “Caesar’s Ruby pendant, one of the “rubies” in the Russian crown jewels, is actually red (rubellite) tourmaline. In the 1500s, a Spanish conquistador discovered green tourmaline crystals in Brazil and mistook them for emeralds. Until tourmaline was identified by scientists as a different mineral species in the 1800s, these and other instances of misidentification persisted for many years.
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What color is the birthstone tourmaline?
Tourmaline is a vibrant alternate birthstone for people born in October because of its intricate mineral makeup. The color of a tourmaline stone is determined by trace concentrations of specific components, and the options are numerous.
Tourmaline: Symbolism and Meaning
The tourmaline birthstone symbolizes strength and defense. Tourmaline is said to protect against toxins, pollution, and negative ideas and to represent power.
In ancient Egypt, it was thought that tourmaline emerged from the earth to the surface in a rainbow. The basis of the gemstone’s name, “tura mali,” which literally translates to “stone of mixed colors,” is a Sinhalese or Sri Lankan word.
The Mohs scale of hardness values this October birthstone between 7 and 7.5, making it a robust jewel suitable for daily wear.
Tourmaline: Color
Tourmaline is a birthstone with a wide range of hues, including pink (the most popular) and green as well as blue and purple, or a mix of these. Tourmaline is available in a range of hues to suit your preferences and fashion sense. The birthstone for October is a multipurpose stone that may be used in a variety of jewelry designs, from rings to pendants.
Tourmaline: Origins
Despite leaving traces throughout history, tourmaline was first identified in Brazil in the 16th century, according to the earliest records, however this wasn’t confirmed until the 19th century. Today, deposits of tourmaline may be found all over the world, including in Australia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Pakistan, and the United States.
How to Choose a Tourmaline Birthstone Jewelry
The most typical way to enhance or treat a tourmaline is with heat. In comparison to if it had not been heated, the stone’s color will be beautifully visible, much more bright, and have a deeper hue.
The general worth and durability of the stone are not in any way diminished when it is heated. It serves only to intensify the stone’s natural colors.
Rectangular cuts are the most recommended for tourmaline stones since they are longer and capture more of the stone’s beauty and sparkle. You might also want to look at the angle of the cuts for deeper color, though.
This birthstone for October is also well recognized for having minute defects, called inclusions. But you won’t be looking at the included while you’re looking for features that have a negative impact on price. Instead, you should pay particular attention to the gemstone’s hue. If you discover that it contains a white tone, you will be able to tell right away that the price will be much decreased.
The value of a tourmaline stone increases with its clarity. The color is the most important item to think about when buying tourmaline because each hue will have a different price, and this can limit your budget.
A popular option is red tourmaline, and green tourmaline is ideal if you’re seeking for an elegant substitute for emeralds. The Brazilian Paraiba Tourmaline, which is clear with a neon blue or green tint, will be the most expensive tourmaline you can locate. The price will increase if the stone’s color becomes more rare.
Caring for Your Tourmaline
Every few months, wash your tourmaline jewelry in warm, soapy water. Before storing it, wipe it thoroughly with a gentle cloth and allow it to completely dry. To keep your tourmaline jewelry secure and scratch-free, place it in a soft cloth or container.
Is tourmaline or opal the birthstone for October?
Opal is a distinctive and well-liked gemstone that, among other things, lends itself wonderfully to jewelry. Ever notice the way an opal’s many colors shine? Continue reading to learn five interesting facts about the popular opal, the birthstone for October!
- Many people think that rain becoming caught inside of a rock is how opal forms. Crystalline silica in the rock is carried downward by the rain. The silicon slowly dries out after that.
- NASA made a really intriguing finding in the year 2008. Opal deposits have been discovered on Mars!
- Australia provides over 95% of the valuable birthstones for October in the globe. Since 1875, opal has been mined in Australia!
- Regarding the opal gem stone’s exceptional abilities, both Ancient Greeks and Romans held distinct views. Many individuals in Ancient Greece believed that opal might make you psychic! The common gemstone was associated with optimism and love in Ancient Rome.
- The abundance of silica spheres of various sizes is what gives opal gemstones their wide range of colors. The lovely October birthstone’s stunning array of colors is produced by light refraction caused by the spheres.
Is October Birthstone Opal or Tourmaline?
Opal and pink tourmaline are two magnificent birthstones that honor those who were born in October. Both opal and tourmaline, the birthstones for October, typically emit a range of hues. Jewelry with October birthstones stands out thanks to the variety of colors. Any piece can be altered to fit your personality and style. There are several jewelry alternatives available with these distinctive jewels, ranging from pendants to earrings.
Is October Birthstone Opal or Pink?
Opal and pink tourmaline are the birthstones for October. The main birthstone, tourmaline, is one of the few stones that can be found in practically every color, making it a rare gem. Some pink tourmalines are as clear as diamonds in clarity! Opals, on the other hand, are unique in their own right. Opal patterns have their own descriptive terminology since they are so distinctive. Opals are the most distinctively individual gems. The most fragile gemstones worn frequently are opals, which need specific maintenance.
Why Does October have two Birthstones?
The National Association of Jewelers decided to compile a list of acceptable birthstones for each month in 1952 in an effort to standardize the birthstones. That last has since been modified over time to match adjustments in fashion trends and stone supply. In the instance of October, there were concerns raised regarding the durability of the opal and it was thought by many to be excessively feminine in look. To add tourmaline to the mix, the association made this decision. More recently, it was determined that opal and pink tourmaline would be the birthstones for October.
What is the October Birthstone Meaning?
Opal, the traditional birthstone for October, is thought to have originated in India (the country from where the first opals were imported to the Western Hemisphere), where it was known as upala, a gem “precious rock. This was known as opalus in ancient Rome. Most opals are renowned for their shifting colors in rainbow huesa phenomenon known as “play-of-color.
What Color is the October Birthstone?
The traditional birthstones for October are opal and tourmaline. Some of the most exquisite and unusual gemstones include opal and tourmaline.
No other gem compares to the opal’s dynamic kaleidoscope of kaleidoscopic colors. The brilliance of fine opal is difficult to describe in words and elusive. It has been compared to volcanoes, galaxies, jellyfish, pyrotechnics, and jellyfish.
The tourmaline, which is generally depicted as pink, actually comes in a variety of colors, including pink (which is the approved color to represent October’s birthstone), blue, luxurious reds, and greens, which are used to embellish the showrooms of luxury jewelers.
What Are Typical October Birthstone Rings?
Shop rings with the birthstone of October at Joseph’s Jewelry. To celebrate this month of birthdays, we have some amazing rings to offer. Here are a few examples:
- Teardrop Pink Created Zircon and Diamond 14K White Gold Ring
- Pink created zircon stackable ring made of 14K white gold.
- Ladies’ Pink Created Zircon and Diamond Ring in 925 Sterling Silver
What Are Typical October Birthstone Necklaces?
Visit Joseph’s Jewelry to view our lovely October birthstone necklaces. Check out our selection of October birthstone necklaces to get exactly what you’re searching for;
- Pink Created Zircon Pendant Necklace in 14K White Gold with Diamond Accents
- Opal Cross Pendant in 14k Yellow Gold
- Pink Created Zircon and Diamond Halo Drop Necklace in 14K White Gold
Is tourmaline or opal my birthstone?
Opal or tourmaline, depending on your source, is the birthstone for October. The most popular birthstone for October is opal. They are incredibly diverse rocks, changing in appearance according to the process of formation. Some jewelry uses precious opals, noted for their eye-catching iridescent colors. However, even the less spectacular common opals have a subtle beauty that makes specimen collections popular.
Opals are not considered minerals in the traditional sense, unlike the majority of other gemstones. They have an intricate lattice structure made up of many microscopic silica spheres. Because light interferes with the internal architecture of these jewels, which are renowned for their “dance of colors,” rainbow hues appear when they are moved.
In fissures and crevices in volcanic rocks that are close to the surface, opals form. Percolating groundwater dissolves silica in sedimentary volcanic ash rock, which finally crystallizes to produce the opal. Rarely does it replace fossilized wood, bones, or shells whose original material has disintegrated away.
Characteristics of opals
Opals are soft stones that can easily have their appearance changed by variations in pressure and heat. The gemstone’s appearance depends on the water content in the rock. An opal shrinks somewhat as water evaporates out of it, and the stress of the evaporation causes fissures in the stone.
Opals’ distinctive colors are caused by impurities within the rock. Tiny gas bubble inclusions are indicated by milky or pearly opals. Iron oxides are indicated by yellows and reds. Magnesium oxides and organic carbon within the stone give the magnificent black opals their color, which can occasionally show flashes of green, blue, and red. The harlequin design, which has sizable angular patches of red, yellow, and green that resemble the checks on a clown’s outfit, is possibly the most expensive opal pattern.
Australia is where most of the world’s opals are mined. It is famous for its stunning black opals in particular. Another newer supplier of opals is Ethiopia. On a lesser scale, northern Nevada is home to a large variety of opals, some of which are in the form of fossilized wood. Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Turkey, and the Czech Republic are additional commercial opal producers.
Opal lore
The Sanskrit term for opal is the source of the name “opalus, from the Latin word upala, means “precious stone.”
The fascinating iridescence of the opal was described by the ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder in his book, “Precious Stones’ Natural History.
The hardest to describe of all valuable stones is opal, which exhibits at once the piercing fire of carbunculus, the purple brilliance of amethystos, and the sea-green of smaragdus, all mingled together and refulgent with an extraordinary brightness.
The history of the opal is based on an Indian myth. Adapted from Willard Heaps’ book Gemstones:
The gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva once competed over a lovely woman out of jealous love. The Eternal became enraged by this and transformed the fair mortal into a mist creature. The three gods then gave her their respective colors so that they could each distinguish her. She was endowed by Brahma with the dazzling blue of the skies, by Vishnu with the grandeur of gold, and by Shiva with his blazing red. However, it was all in vain because the exquisite phantom was carried off by the winds. Finally, the Eternal felt sorry for her and changed her into an opal, a stone that glistens in every hue of the rainbow.
Heaps also noted that opals had symbolic significance in earlier cultures. Opals were dubbed the Cupid stone by the Romans. The anchor of hope, as the Asians called it. Arabs thought that people descended from the sky. Opals were originally the talisman of thieves and spies in Poland because it was believed that wearing one would render the wearer invisible.
October birthstone: evil superstitions
An opal’s color intensity was thought to shift during the medieval era, signaling whether the wearer was healthy or ill. According to legend, the opal kept a robust heart, avoided fainting, guarded against infection, and purified odorous air. The stone continued to stand for optimism just as it has in the past.
But by the middle of the 14th century, the opal’s reputation had shifted. The Black Death raced through Europe, wiping out one-fourth of its people. The gem was thought to be the fatal factor. When worn by a victim of the fatal plague, it was bright only while the wearer was still alive. Then it would seem different and lose its brilliance. It was actually this stone’s sensitivity to temperature fluctuations that caused it to appear different as the heat of a raging fever gave way to the chill of death.
People in Elizabethan England prized opals for their beauty. It was referred to as the “queen of diamonds” by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night. Opals gained popularity because Queen Victoria cherished them and gave them to her children. However, the stone’s reputation remained tainted, largely as a result of Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 book Anne of Geierstein, which portrayed it as a stone of evil.
Opals have always played a role in Australian Aboriginal cultures. In one tale from the Dreamtime, a pelican was sleeping amid a spectacular display of hues. A spark that was released when he picked at the colored stones set the dry grass on fire. His people were able to prepare fish and meat for the first time as the fire spread to them.
Tourmaline, an alternate October birthstone
Tourmaline, which displays the widest range of gemstone hues, is the alternate birthstone for October. Gem-quality varieties of this material have previously been mistaken for sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. In actuality, it was long believed that a famous tourmaline, about the size of a pigeon’s egg, belonged to the Russian monarch Catherine the Great.
Toramalli, a phrase used to describe bright stones in Singhalese (Sri Lankan), is said to be the source of the name of this gemstone.
Tourmaline characteristics
A complex silicate mineral that contains boron, tourmaline can also contain other elements like iron, aluminum, magnesium, sodium, and lithium. They are available in a wide range of hues, including yellow, green, red, blue, pink, brown, and black. The colors of gemstones are caused by metals that are part of the crystal structure. Manganese, for instance, is responsible for the color pink. While magnesium provides browns and yellows, iron produces colors that range from black to deep brown. Lithium-rich tourmalines can generate a range of hues, including blues, greens, and reds. Even some crystals have the ability to be bicolored. The watermelon tourmaline variant features a pink or light red inside and green outer margins that change to a translucent white zone.
Tourmalines are attracted to tiny pieces of paper, lint, and ash when heated or rubbed. The gem acquires a static electrical charge as a result. Benjamin Franklin actually used this gem in his research on electricity. Tourmaline exhibits in museums need to be cleaned frequently because the heat from the display case’s lights charges the gemstone, which attracts dust.
Tourmalines were only recently discovered compared to other gemstones. As a result, it lacks the extensive history that many other precious stones have. However, some consider tourmaline to be the “peace stone,” dispelling fear and calming the wearer.
Is the pink tourmaline the birthstone for October?
Is pink tourmaline or opal the birthstone for October? The response is both! The traditional birthstone for October is the opal, however tourmaline has also been included on more recent listings. The National Association of Jewelers did not start using opal and tourmaline as the two birthstones for October until 1812.
Is tourmaline a valuable gemstone?
Tourmaline is a semi-precious gemstone that, true to its name, “turmali,” which means “mixed,” occurs in more colors and color combinations than any other gemstone. Tourmalines are frequently confused for a variety of different gemstones because of their vast spectrum of colors. For instance, many of the stones thought to be rubies in the Russian Crown Jewels from the 17th century are actually tourmalines.
Iron, sodium, magnesium, potassium, aluminum, and lithium are among the different elements found in tourmalines, which are crystalline boron silicate minerals. There are numerous places in the globe where tourmalines are found.
How much does tourmaline cost?
Depending on the type and quality, tourmaline costs can vary greatly. The most costly tourmalines are those from Paraba, which can cost thousands of dollars per carat. Fine indicolites, bi-colors, and chrome tourmalines can sell for up to $1000/ct. Other variants are offered for between $50 and $75 per ct, depending on the color’s intensity.
Are opal and tourmaline the same thing?
A tourmaline gemstone exhibits a vibrant combination of hues that may be seen in a single crystal, but an opal gemstone is distinguished by its shimmering, rainbow-like hue and iridescence.
What is the actual birthstone for October?
Opal and tourmaline are two magnificent birthstones that are used to mark the birthdays of those born in October. Both birthstones for October feature stunning hue and countless color combinations. Discover the ideal present for folks born in the tenth month by learning more about these two birthstones for October.
Possibly having two birthstones
Tourmaline and opal are the birthstones for October. Due to its wide range of exquisite colors, tourmaline is a favorite gemstone of many. Opal gemstones are absolutely one-of-a-kind because each one is embellished with a special color combination.