Alexandrite gemstones are extremely rare and desirable since they change color based on the lighting. Browse Pearl jewelry. Browse Alexandrite jewelry. Rubies, the birthstone of July, are considered the king of gems and represent love, health and wisdom. It was believed wearing a fine red Ruby bestowed good fortune on its owner.
A Ruby is the most valuable gemstone and its value increases based on its color and quality. Browse Ruby jewelry.
August is the latest month to claim two birthstones; Peridot and Spinel. Spinel is available in a brilliant range of colors and is believed to protect the owner from harm and soothe away sadness. Browse Peridot jewelry. Browse Spinel jewelry. Sapphire, the birthstone of September, is most desired in its pure, rich blue color but is present in almost every color including pink, yellow and green.
In the Middle Ages the gem was believed to protect those close to you from harm and also represented loyalty and trust. Browse Sapphire jewelry. October also has two birthstones; Tourmaline and Opal.
Opal gemstones are truly unique because each individual gem is adorned with a one-of-a-kind color combination. Browse Tourmaline jewelry. Browse Opal jewelry. November birthdays are associated with two gems; Citrine and Topaz.
Opal, as an October birthstone, dates to at least the 15th century. Tourmaline, however, was selected as an October birthstone in the early s. Before this, aquamarine was the birthstone for the month. Today, aquamarine is the modern March birthstone. Tourmaline is the modern birthstone for October while Opal is the traditional birthstone. Both tourmalines and opals have their enthusiasts, but opals just edge past them in popularity.
The array of colors helps October birthstone jewelry stand out in a class by themselves. You can also customize any piece of jewelry to fit your style and personality. These unique gemstones offer a wide variety of jewelry options, from rings to necklaces. Many believe that opal forms when rain becomes trapped inside of a rock. Then, the silica eventually dries out. In the year , NASA made a very interesting discovery.
Opal deposits were found on the planet Mars! Opal has been mined in Australia since the year ! In Ancient Greece, many people thought that opal could make you psychic! While in Ancient Rome, the popular gemstone was synonymous with hope and love The varying colors you see in an opal gemstone are a result of the massive amount of diversely sized silica spheres.
The spheres cause light to refract and thus create the many different colors on display in the beautiful October birthstone. Europeans long maintained opal to be a symbol of purity, hope and truth. Hundreds of years ago, opal was believed to embody the virtues and powers of all colored stones. Opal is also the stone given to celebrate the 14th wedding anniversary.
The opal birthstone can be found in many places. The fields of Australia are the most productive in the world for the October birthstone. Ethiopia, Mexico and Brazil are also important sources. Lightning Ridge, a small town in New South Wales, Australia, is famed for producing prized black opal. A dry and rocky region softened only by small trees and scrub brush, Lightning Ridge gets little rain and bakes in the scorching summer temperatures.
The climate is so unforgiving that miners often live underground to find respite from the punishing heat. Australia is also a source of other types of the October birthstone.
Boulder opal, which comes from only one location in the world, is mined in Queensland. Travel miles about kilometers north of the capital Addis Ababa and up 8, feet 2, meters , where miners pry opal from shafts dug into the side of a plateau. Some of the opals show play-of-color.
Its treasures are buried in steep cliffs that tower over the landscape. The mines are a tourist destination, and getting to them requires taking a dirt road through dense forests of pine and oak, past scrubby plateaus of cacti and shrubs, and up winding mountain roads.
Opal may be treated by impregnation with oil, wax or plastic. Opal doublets or triplets are fine slices of opal glued to a base material and covered with a thin dome of clear quartz. The safest way to clean this October birthstone is with warm, soapy water. Other cleaning methods might damage the opal or filler material.
Note that prolonged exposure to water may weaken the adhesive in opal doublets and triplets. Even natural opal can fracture if exposed to high heat or sudden temperature changes. This October birthstone ranges from 5 to 6. To prevent jewelry set with harder gems from scratching opal, store it by itself.
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