Opal and Tourmaline: October's Rainbow Stones

October is the month the light turns to honey, the afternoons go amber and the leaves run through every color they have been saving.  And for a few weeks the whole world looks like it was lit from the inside.

It makes sense, then, that October has two birthstones, and that both of them hold a rainbow. One carries it as a flash of fire and the other carries all the colors in a single strand.

Opal, the stone that plays with light

Opal is the older of the two October stones, and the stranger one. It is not a crystal at all. Inside, it is made of tiny spheres of silica stacked in rows, with a little water held between them, and when light passes through that pattern it breaks apart into color. Jewelers call it play of color or opalescence. Turn an opal slowly and green becomes blue becomes a spark of orange, and none of it was there a moment ago.

The Roman writer Pliny described opal as holding the fire of the ruby, the purple of amethyst and the sea green of emerald all at once. For centuries it was treasured as a stone of hope and of good fortune, and it is traditionally associated with creativity, faithfulness and self worth; a stone said to help the wearer show more of who they really are.

Ethiopian opal, the kind in the necklace below, is especially lively. It glows from within like a candle behind frosted glass, and when it catches the sun it throws its colors across the room.

Tourmaline, the stone that kept every color

Tourmaline grows in more colors than any other gemstone on earth: forest green, honey, amber, raspberry, petal pink, and sometimes several of these within a single crystal. An old story says it traveled up through a rainbow on its way out of the ground and kept a little of every color it passed.

It has a wonderful secret, too. Warm a tourmaline crystal and it takes on a small electrical charge. Dutch traders in the 1700s noticed that heated tourmaline would pull ash from their pipes and gave it a name that meant, more or less, the ash puller.

Tourmaline has long been carried as a protective stone. It is traditionally said to guard the wearer's energy and to keep them steady and grounded in busy company, which feels like exactly the right gift for a month that begins the long run into the holidays.

Wearing October

These are both stones of color, so give them room. Opal loves a plain neckline and a little movement; it comes alive when you walk into sunlight. A rainbow tourmaline strand works almost like a neutral, because it already contains every autumn color you own. It sits beautifully against camel, cream, rust and charcoal, and it layers with gold without asking permission.

If you would like to set an intention for October, try one about keeping rather than changing. Autumn is a harvest season. Before you fasten your piece in the morning, hold the stones in your palm for one slow breath and name one good thing you want to carry with you into the winter. That is the whole practice. The stone is not doing the work; it is simply there to remind you of what you chose.

And if you are shopping for an October birthday, both stones make a lovely gift; one for fire and one for steadiness.

Three pieces to wear it in

Ombre Tourmaline Necklace with Rose Quartz and Garnet Pendant ~ $295. The whole tourmaline spectrum on one strand: near black at the back, then deep forest and olive, into honey and amber, then raspberry and soft petal pink. At the front hangs a rose quartz pendant set in 18kt gold vermeil with a garnet at its center. Sixteen inches, choker length, closed with a gold filled toggle. One of a kind.

Rainbow Tourmaline Bracelet with Rose Gold Lotus Charm ~ $78. Natural tourmaline rondelles, never dyed, moving from mossy green into gold and amber and finally a run of soft pink. The lotus charm is rose gold with pavé cubic zirconia, and it catches light from across a room. A beautiful way to begin with tourmaline, and a sweet October birthday gift. In 7 and 7.5 inches.

Rosary Style Om Necklace with Ethiopian Opal ~ $156. Ethiopian opal hand wrapped into a gold filled rosary style chain, with a two tone pavé Om pendant at the center. It is made for layering and it is just as happy with a t shirt and jeans as with a little black dress. Every opal in the chain catches the light a little differently.

Before you go

Each of these pieces is made by hand in my Scottsdale studio, and each would make a beautiful thing to open on an October birthday, or simply to give yourself as the season turns. There is no rush at all. I would love for one of them to go home with you.

However you wear October, I hope it brings you a little more color than you expected.

Namaste ~Lisa