It is very nearly the end of October. Halloween is at the weekend, the nights are getting colder, the leaves are all almost off the trees and I don’t know about you but I am starting to think about Christmas 

I thought it was the perfect time to talk about October’s birthstone in our birthstone series. 

Now October has not one but two birthstones. Drum roll please…. Opals and Tourmalines. 

I debated whether to do both but I decided to focus on my personal favourite the Opal. 

At Junkyard Gem, we have both Opals and Pink Tourmalines so if you want to go straight ahead and shop, click here to visit our shop rings section 

History 

Opals have fascinated ancient civilisations across the ages 

The kaleidoscope style feature of an Opal makes it a marvel to look at 

According to the GIA this has lead to the Opal being called names such as Pandora, Light of the World and Empress 

The Roman’s were particularly impressed with this stone as they believed it symbolised love 

The name Opal is derived from the Latin term ‘Opulus’ meaning precious stone which shows just how highly the Romans valued Opals 

In more recent history, Opals were at the forefront of some unfounded superstition leading to a sharp decline in their popularity for a while 

In the early 17th century, Opals were believed to be unlucky to wear by anyone not born in October 

However like most superstitions, this was not based on fact and was traced back to a book called Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott 

Since many people are less prone to believe superstitions, Opals have surged in popularity particularly among millennials 

Facts

There are many different types of Opal however they are mainly divided by their background colour leading to five main types: black, white, fire, boulder and crystal 

Black Opals are the rarest and most expensive 

Opals are quite a delicate stone and are prone to cracking fairly easily therefore you should not wear them in the shower, in harsh chemicals and you should be careful not to bang them 

Properties

Opals are said to be an emotional stone and reflect the mood of the wearer 

I often find when my mood changes, the colour in the Opal I’m wearing changes 

Opals are said to stimulate emotions to encourage both freedom and independence 

Wearing an Opal is said to bring spontaneity 

*Shop a selection of our Opal rings here