October birthstone: opal, tourmaline, pink tourmaline
The October birthstone is opal, changeable and iridescent, whose colors recall, according to Kunz, the bright days of autumn.
October at a glance
For you, a stone of moving reflections that reminds you that you change color with the light, and that this is allowed.
- 1912 list
- Opal, Tourmaline
- Additions
- Pink tourmaline (1952)
The stones of October
What traditions associate with them
October is the month that Kunz’s old lists assign to aquamarine or beryl, eight times out of eight. Opal appears there only once; the 1912 list prefers it, with tourmaline as the alternative.
For Kunz, beryl surpasses both opal and tourmaline, and he sets tourmaline aside, known as a gem only since the 18th century. Pink tourmaline is added in 1952.
Modern crystal practice associates tourmaline with renewal; opal, for its part, remains above all the stone of shifting reflections that Pliny and Kunz discuss.
No stone has a proven effect on health: if you have a health concern, see a health professional.
October birthstone: your questions
Why does October have an opal and a tourmaline?
In 1912, the Kansas City list gave opal as the main stone and tourmaline as the alternative, which offers jewelers a wider choice. In 1952, pink tourmaline was added to the list. Kunz himself would have kept beryl, truer to the old traditions.
Does opal bring bad luck?
It is a popular belief, which Kunz attributes largely to a hasty reading of a Walter Scott novel, Anne of Geierstein: according to him, the story does not make opal an unlucky stone. He urges a return to the old esteem for the stone, handling it with care. The opal profile details what is said about it.
Your stone, your intention
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