Opal + Tourmaline: Pretty in Pink
October is one of those months that boasts two birthstones, and neither one of them is shy when it comes to color. Opal can flash with almost every color of the spectrum, while tourmaline comes in nearly every shade of the rainbow. Completely different stones, but both have been prized for centuries for their remarkable selection of colors. The pick for this month, though, is pink. Apparently, October doesn't do beige.
Opal
In the raw.
Composition: Opal is a form of hydrated silica, and unlike most gemstones, it doesn't have a regular crystal structure, and can contain up to 20% water. In precious opal, tiny silica spheres bend and scatter light, creating flashes of shifting color known as play-of-color. Common opal has no play-of-color and occurs in a range of beautiful colors, including the soft pink opal I use in my jewelry.
Art nouveau brooch, c. 1900.
History: The ancient Romans associated opals with love and hope, while the Greeks believed they could give the gift of prophecy and protection from disease. Bedouin legends said opals contained lightning and fell from the sky during thunderstorms. For centuries they were considered symbols of good fortune, although they later acquired a rather undeserved reputation for being unlucky.
Find your balance.
Metaphysical: Opal is associated with creativity, inspiration, intuition and emotional expression. It is believed to amplify emotions, encourage originality and help bring feelings to the surface. It's also associated with hope, transformation and self-expression, and is sometimes used as a stone for encouraging confidence and personal growth. With all that going on, it seems opal is a busy little gemstone.
Tourmaline
In the raw.
Composition: Pink tourmaline is a complex group of boron silicate minerals, and its pink color is primarily caused by manganese. The color can range from the palest blush pink through rose and hot pink to deep raspberry. At 7–7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, it's considerably more durable than opal and well suited to everyday jewelry. Its naturally elongated crystal structure also gives rough tourmaline the distinctive parallel striations often visible along its surface.
Tourmaline intaglio depicting Alexander the Great, c. 334 - 323 BCE
History: Tourmaline spent centuries being mistaken for other gemstones. Green tourmaline found in Brazil in the 1500s was thought to be emerald, while red tourmalines from Burma turned up masquerading as rubies. It wasn't until the 1800s that scientists finally sorted things out. Even the name comes from the Sinhalese toramalli, referring to mixed-colored stones. By then, tourmaline was becoming a gemstone in its own right.
Find your inner calm.
Metaphysical: Pink tourmaline is associated with love, compassion and emotional healing. It's believed to encourage self-love, gentleness and a sense of calm, while helping to release old emotional hurts and anxiety. It's also strongly associated with the heart chakra and is often considered a particularly nurturing and comforting stone. It has traditionally been used as a stone of reassurance, particularly during times of stress or emotional upheaval.
Hand in hand for October.
Opal and tourmaline couldn't be more different, but together they give October an extraordinary color range. Opal puts on a show by shifting and flashing as the light moves across it, while tourmaline offers everything from soft pink to vivid blue-green. One changes color before your eyes; the other simply says, Pick a color. I've probably got it. Between the two of them, October has pretty much got the rainbow covered.
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