October's Birthstone: Opal

What is an Opal?

Commonly found in Australia, Opals are delicate milky white stones that typically sparkle with rainbow hues. Opals were described as fireworks, galaxies and volcanoes due to the multi-coloured tones, which gemologists call a play of colour. Dreamy rainbow tones in Opals are most common, but you can also find fire opals that only present hues of orange and red, and rare black opals that have a dark grey/ black canvas with the bright rainbow hues throughout.

The first of these dreamy stones were thought to have originated in India. The name Opal has changed over the years, beginning with Upala in Sanskirt meaning precious stone, and Opalus in Ancient Rome.

Cultural History and Spiritual Properties of Opals

Opals have many spiritual and symbolic meanings. Indigenous people of Australia, where majority of opals are found, believed that the creator of the world came down to earth on a rainbow and when stepping on land, the stones turned to opals.

Europeans believed that the opal was a symbol of truth, hope and purity and that it harboured the virtues and powers of all coloured stones.

A more unusual symbolistic property of the opal comes from Ancient Rome where they believed that if a woman with blonde hair owned an opal, it would keep their hair blonde.

Celebrity Style | Opals

Worldwide pop superstar Taylor Swift has been seen wearing opals at many red carpet occasions over the years. We love the bright blues and greens in these earrings!

Other celebrities such as Jenna Dewan and Sarah Paulson have also been seen wearing opal earrings to events. We must say, we think the opals make a huge statement with its ever changing colours and tones and add such glamour to an outfit.

Care & Cleaning for Opal Jewellery

Opals are considered one of the most delicate gemstones so care and cleaning is really important. Opals can contain up to 21% water naturally, and while opals that are used in jewellery are typically 1-6% water, they are still extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and are vulnerable to scratching.

The recommended method for cleaning opals is to gently wash with mild soap and a soft brush or cloth. It is not recommended that they are cleaned in a mechanical system such as Ultrasonic or steam cleaning machines.

Two Birthstones?

As if having the Opal as your birthstone wasn't enough, those born in October have 2 beautiful birthstones to choose from, Opal and Tourmaline. Opal was the traditional birthstone for October birthdays up until 1812, when the American National Association of Jewelers named Tourmaline as the second official October birthstone. This was because the Opal was seen as too feminine and there were questions of durability and so Tourmaline was introduced. Both stones have similarities in that they have many colourful variations and unique patterns throughout the stone, meaning that no two present the same.

What is Tourmaline?

Tourmaline is the only gemstone that comes in many colour variations. Tourmaline can be found in pink/red hues, emerald green, neon green and blue-violet tones. This means that they can often be mistaken for emeralds, rubies and sapphires until it was identified as a distinct mineral species in the 1800s.

Cultural History and Spiritual Properties of Tourmaline

The individual colours of Tourmaline are thought to all have their own healing properties;

Pink“ gentleness and compassion

Green“ Strength, stamina and courage

Black“ a sense of self-confidence and protection to the wearer of the stone

Shop October's Birthstone

At Chisholm Hunter, we create only the finest opal jewellery, whether a beautiful pear cut ring or a pair of oval cut opal earrings. Find the perfect gift for the occasion on our website or book an appointment to visit us in-store.