Opal and Tourmaline; October's birthstones

Opal and Tourmaline are the two birthstones of October.

2. Opal

Opal's name is derived from the Latin word "opulus" which means precious stone. This gemstone inspires purity, love, luck, hope, happiness, innocence and calmness. There are two broad categories; precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color, common opal does not. Play-of-color is an Opal's unique displays of flashing rainbow colors. Opal hues can range across the spectrum; a single color, two or three colors, or all the colors of the rainbow. As for the arrangement of play-of-color, we use 3 categories to describe them. 1. Pinfire- very small patches or "dots" 2. Flash- large areas of play-of-color. 3. Harlequin- large distinct, usually rectangular patches of play-of-color with edges touching each other. Opal promotes security, calmness and is great for easing stress and depression. It is also a good supporting stone; helps one to be more open and honest.

2. Tourmaline

Tourmaline is the newer October stone. The name comes from the Sinhalese word toromalli, which means "stone of mixed colors". Tourmaline can appear green, blue, yellow, pink to red, colorless or zoned in a combination of colors. Color zoning occurs when trace elements change in concentration or composition during a crystal's growth which sometimes result in bi-colored tourmaline. The most popular tourmalines are the pink and red rubellites, the emerald green " chrome" tourmalines, and the neon green and blue-to-violet "paraiba" tourmalines.
While Tourmaline imparts powerful healing and protection energy, different colors of tourmaline have their own properties associated with them.

- Pink: Embodies love and associated with compassion and gentleness.

- Green: Promotes courage, strength and stamina.

- Red(Rubellite): Imparts vitality and a zest for life, brings joy and passion to the relationship.

- Blue: Peace and tranquility.

- Black: Provides protection from negative energy while energizing the body.