October birthstones are Opal & Tourmaline. Did You Know…
Opal and tourmaline are October birthstones signifying Hope.
OPAL
Opal a typically semitransparent gemstone, gets its name from the Sanskrit word upala for stone or precious stone. Sanskrit is the main liturgical language used in Hinduism.
Opal is also known as “the eye stone”.
Fiery and breathtaking, with the ability to display shifting hues, opal carries different cultural meanings.
According to Gemological Institute of America, “Because opal has the colors of other gems, the Romans thought it was the most precious and powerful of all. Many cultures have credited opal with supernatural origins and powers. The Bedouins believed that opals contained lightning and fell from the sky during thunderstorms. The ancient Greeks believed opals gave their owners the gift of prophecy and guarded them from disease. Europeans have long considered the gem a symbol of hope, purity, and truth.”
Specimen of gem fire opal found in Chihuahua, Mexico
Opal contains up to 20% water trapped within its structure.
95% of the world’s precious opal comes from Australia.
Opal from Ethiopia’s Wollo (Welo) Province
The captivating Opal, best described by the word Iridescent, shows varying colors against different backgrounds, and also when viewed from different angles.
TOURMALINE
Tourmaline is a powerful prismatic mineral.
The word tourmaline comes from tura mali, a Sinhalese phrase meaning “stone mixed with vibrant colors”. Sinhalese is a native language from Sri Lanka.
Tourmalines are thus known as “gemstones of the rainbow”.
“Tourmalines are gems with an incomparable variety of colours. The reason, according to an old Egyptian legend, is that the tourmaline, on its long journey up from the centre of the Earth, passed over a rainbow. In doing so, it assumed all the colours of the rainbow.” (International Colored Gemstone Association).
Tourmalines are commonly found in California, Brazil, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Tourmaline from Afghanistan
Opal and Tourmaline are the traditional birthstones for October, associated to the zodiac sign Libra (September 24 – October 23).
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