One of the most versatile gemstones, tourmaline, is available in a dazzling array of colors, almost resembling a rainbow. Interestingly, the name ‘Tourmaline’ comes from the Sinhalese words Tura mali, meaning ‘a stone with mixed colors’. The rosy, pink-hued tourmaline is most popular and celebrated as the October birthstone and a gift to commemorate the 8th wedding anniversary. The gemstone, imbued with such vibrant and vivid color hues, is said to bestow the wearer with certain artistic prowess and heightened emotional receptiveness. 

The pink tourmaline is a beautiful birthstone that embodies love, compassion, and gentleness for those born in October. In its natural form, it is usually found in long hexagon-shaped pencils. Rings with pink tourmaline as the center stone look resplendent. Though most of this October birthstone is mined in Brazil for centuries, geographies like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kenya, and Madagascar in Africa, and California and Maine in the United States are also crucial producers.

October's Birthstone - Opal

Symbolizes faithfulness and confidence. The word comes from the Latin opalus, meaning “precious jewel,” and from the Greek word opallios, meaning “to see a change in color.” 

Opals are a type of quartz made up of tiny spheres of amorphous hydrated silica, which give it its rainbow shimmer. When light hits the sphere structures in opal, the colors of the visible spectrum appear. In different lights, an opal’s rainbow fragments may shift and change, revealing luminous bright and dark colors for a fascinating display. 

Opal’s high water content makes it prone to cracking or crazing (many fine cracks), however. This can happen if the gem dries out, such as might occur when exposed to high temperatures or long periods of low humidity. The gem is relatively soft, with a hardness rating of only 5.5.