October’s primary birthstone is opal.

Pink tourmaline is also considered to be one.

Tourmalines are gorgeous but opal tends to get all the October-related attention, perhaps because they have such a unique appearance. 95% of the world’s opals come from Australia and tend to be, rightly so, expensive. Opalique is a more budget-friendly option to opal. This is made from shards of waste opal set in resin.

Opal comes in a variety of colours from pale off-white through to black.

I say black but it’s more like dark blue and if you are lucky enough to find a fabulous piece, its beautiful iridescence is unmistakable. Each colour of opal, from fire (orange/red) to chrysopal (blue/green) has its own qualities in addition to those mentioned below.

Opal has always been associated with love, passion, desire and eroticism. Wearing opal is said to bring loyalty, faithfulness and spontaneity. It can, however, increase fickleness if the wearer is already that way inclined. Superstition says it’s a bad choice for an engagement ring and that you should never wear this stone unless it is your birthstone. Some say you should never buy your own opal but only receive it as a gift. Others say exactly the opposite, that you should only buy it for yourself and never give it as a gift. Who knows why opals are subjected to so many rumours and notions of bad luck?

Opals are said to bring traits and characteristics to the surface for examination and transformation.

They pick up thoughts, feelings, desires and buried emotions, amplifying them and returning them to source. This means negative thoughts may be amplified which can be difficult to deal with, but it’s only for allowing the understanding of such thoughts so they can be processed and let go.

I have been fortunate enough to purchase estate opal beads and some are included in my jewellery on this site. Shop all currently available jewellery with opals HERE.