What is October's Birthstone? What is it and What Does it Mean? Let's Find Out!

What is the birthstone for October? Opal. October's birthstone is Opal which is a glistening, almost multicoloured, semi-precious stone based on white. But October also has another birthstone. This is called Tourmaline, and it's Pink. Lucky you!

There are various concepts about the origins of the modern name "opal." Some believe the phrase is derived from the Sanskrit word upala, which simply means "precious stone." However, there are other equally viable choices, such as the Greek term opallios, which means "to see a change in colour." Finally, the Latin name opalus is commonly translated as "precious jewel." Regardless of how the term "opal" came to be, no one can deny the October birthstone's particular brilliance.

Opal is a wonderful gemstone that is made better as it is a stone that is said to represent confidence and faithfulness, and it is supposed to help protect you from nightmares. This had made the Opal an incredibly popular form of talisman in times gone by. But times change and nowadays it is the colours of stones have become popular. This is why Pink has become more well-known for more casual wear.

Opals are captivating October birthstones. With the pattern embedded within them, they shoot out shimmering rainbows and because of this, they suit almost every skin tone. Transparency is not a colour; rather, it refers to how easily light passes through a stone. Opal's transparency ranges from transparent (you can see through the stone) to translucent (some light can pass through the stone) to completely opaque.

October's birthstone of opal gives you clear vision, both in terms of physical eyesight and your mind's eye. So this is the stone for you if you want to improve your imagination.

For centuries people considered opals to be lucky stones as they are so rare. Many people believed they had magical properties so they were highly prized gemstones.

Opals became unpopular when Sir Walter Scott published his 1829 novel, Anne of Geierstein. In the story, Lady Hermione wears an opal in her hair. A few drops of holy water fall on it so it cracks and loses its colour. Lady Hermione dies. The opal is blamed.

It was such a popular novel at the time and, as a result, people turned against opals. We have forgotten the novel but some people still think of opals as unlucky.

We don't, we think October's Birthstone is one of the best birthstones and has a range of opal jewellery in-store and online. https://www.graceandcojewellery.co.uk/search/opal

Types of October's Birthstone - Opal

The most popular opal categories on the market are shown below.

• Black Opal - It makes sense to start our list with the opal that has the highest price-per-carat value: black opal. Unsurprisingly, black opal must appear to have a black base colour when viewed face-up; nevertheless, the stone's real colour can be an extremely dark shade of grey, brown, blue, or green. Opaque stones demonstrate the best play of colour, however, translucent stones are permissible. It is required for black opal to exhibit some degree of colour play. Because of the dark background of black opal, the play-of-colour effect can be vivid and dazzling, and the best examples in this category are extremely stunning.
• White Opal - the polar opposite of black opal, white opal has a light background colour that can range from pure white to medium grey. These opals must be transparent and have some colour play. White opals are extremely prevalent and account for a significant fraction of the opals on the market.
• Fire Opal - The great majority of fire opals are native to Mexico and are very new to the international market. The most major sources of fire opal were only discovered in the middle of the nineteenth century, and supply is still limited. These vivid stones feature red, orange, or yellow backgrounds, and the most desirable gems are transparent. The value of fire opal is determined by the evenness and brilliance of its base colour; some have no play of colour at all. Because play-of-colour is not regarded as a significant value determinant, fire opal is the only type of opal free from the usual precious vs. potch classification scheme.
• Crystal opals are known for their transparency and excellent play-of-colour effects. They may have a light background hue, but it is their vibrant and varied bursts of colour that distinguish them. The best crystal opals can be extremely costly and used in excellent jewellery.
• Water Opal - Like crystal opals, water opals can be colourless or have a light base colour of white, blue, green, purple, or brownish. They may be transparent, although some are translucent. Water opals, unlike crystal opals, may or may not exhibit play of colour. If they do exhibit coloured flashes, they are far more modest than in other opal kinds and are rarely seen throughout the entire surface of the stone. Water opals, sometimes known as "jelly opals," are a less expensive opal variation due to their understated appearance.
• Boulder opals are rare in that they contain both precious opals and portions of the host rock in which the opal originated naturally. These shards of the host rock are known as "matrix," and stones with balanced "matrixing" patterns combined with good play-of-colour are considered the best. While matrixing might be visually appealing, it can also dramatically increase the durability of the stone. As will be mentioned, opal is a softer gem kind, and stones cut to keep some of their host rock may be more durable.
• Assembled Opals are similar to a man-made opal sandwich. Opal doublets consist of a layer of genuine opal connected to a backing, which is typically dark glass, plastic, or another black substance. Opal triplets contain an additional domed top layer of a colourless substance, such as quartz or glass. The non-opal components, like the host rock in boulder opals, provide solidity to rather thin and delicate opal pieces that would otherwise be unsuitable for jewellery application. Assembled opal is typically less expensive than other categories that have not been altered, yet it can still be a lovely option.

This was all about the October's birthstone - Opal. Shop with us at Grace and Co!

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