October birthdays have two choices of birthstones: Opal and Tourmaline.

These are both the traditional birthstones of October and both are multi coloured, although pink is often the preferred colour for October. October is a season of change and of letting your creative juices flow. These gemstones are connected to the month of October because opal promotes creativity, and tourmaline offers protection.

Opal

There is is wide variety of opals available today, ranging from precious and expensive iridescent opals to opaque, dense, more common opals. Opals grow around the world, with each location having it’s unique type of opal.

Some of the most well known types of opal are:

• Blue and Pink Peruvian Opals come from the Andes in South America

• White Ethiopian opals are from Ethiopia in East Africa which shimmer in a rainbow of colours.

• Black or white precious Australian opals are mostly found in Queensland, Australia, and they look as if they contain a rainbow galaxy within them.

Each opal has it’s own unique meaning and properties, but the majority of opals are stones of inspiration and that help with imagination and creativity. Find out more about the different types of opals and their meanings.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline also comes in many different colours, and you can often get tourmaline gemstones that display more than one colour within the stone. Tourmaline is not just one gemstone, but a mineral family. There are three different types of tourmaline: Elbaite, Schorl, and Davite. Elbaite is the colourful, translucent tourmaline that’s popular in jewellery design. Schorl is darker and denser, usually black and opaque. Davite is a brown tourmaline.

Tourmaline is a happiness bringing crystal that strengthening the mind and body, and is powerful at protecting the wearer against all types of dangers. As crystals are very strongly linked to colour therapy and different minerals present during the crystal’s development vary, different coloured tourmaline also have different properties and meanings. Find out more about tourmaline meaning and uses.

Are you an October boho birthday girl? Do you prefer opal or tourmaline for your birthstone?