October Birthstone

Word Count: 1658


The October Birthstone:
Revered As A Symbol Of Hope And Purity, Coveted For Its Fire.
The October birthstone is one of the most lustrous and radiant of gems – an ever-changing depth of fiery iridescence – ever refracting, ever reflecting, always giving wonder and delight.
It is Opal. And it just might possibly be the perfect gift!
Child As Beautiful As Love
The ancient Greeks upheld the opal as a sign of purity and hope. The ancient Romans believed opals kept the wearer safe from harm and called opals cupid paederos, child as beautiful as love.
The October child has been blessed with one of the most beautiful birthstones on this earth, many say the most beautiful. For thousands of years opals have been regarded as a source of imparting inner beauty and faithfulness to the wearer. For centuries royal families have included opals in crowns and necklaces as a talisman for protection, calling them the “King of Gems”. An Heirloom For Life
Opals fit perfectly into all the phases of life – birth, setting forth, romance and giving, learning and loving, aging gracefully and contentment.
An opal birthstone is the perfect gift for the birth of a child – a treasure that grows in value and wonder as the child grows through to the years of grace where opals are valued by many for their reputed ability to recall past lives and to aid sight.
The romance of opals is legendary. Cleopatra is said to have worn opals to attract Mark Anthony, Queen Victoria was a passionate collector, opals were set in the crowns and necklaces of rulers who believed in their protective powers, and Aborigines believe in the spiritual value of opals, believing they represent a sign or presence of an ancestor.
But it is not only in the halls of the famous that opals are found. They hold a precious place in the everyday gifts exchanged by loved ones.
One of the highest qualities of opals is their timeless beauty. Because of this, an opal necklace, an opal bracelet or other piece of opal jewelry is frequently treasured and handed down as a family heirloom.
Maggie was given an opal ring by her mother, which had been given to her mother in her early twenties by her father, Maggie’s grandfather.
“I love this ring,” Maggie says. “I get endless pleasure just moving my finger so slightly and catching glimpses of the most incredible colors. Having the mental image of my mother wearing it just adds so much to the pleasure. I’ve already told my daughter I will be passing it on to her and she loves that thought.”
As Much An Investment As A Gift Of Love
Opals are mined around the world from countries such as Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, and within the USA. However, Australia has long been recognized as the home of the most stable, the most rare and beautiful opals.
Australian opal is delved from the remote regions of the outback, regions rich in legend such as Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge, redeemed from the red earth by larger-than-life characters driven by a fierce love for opals.
Giving your loved one a black opal birthstone is as much an investment as a gift of love. Some of the finest specimens cost more per carat than diamonds. Although opals are classified as a semi-precious stone, their value has increased up to 30% over the last few years increasing their desirability for many collectors and investors.
Think of the birthstone jewelry you wish to give. You will discover a range of artistic designs, often inspired by the land where the opal was delved, which are as diverse as they are stunning. Everything from a sculptured or simple birthstone ring or an intricate, multi gem and opal pendant to a solitary birthstone gemstone.
If you find an opal earring with a ‘near identical’ pair you have a rare and valuable find, as no two opals are exactly the same making them all the more highly prized.
Fire Gem Of The Australian Outback - The October Opal Birthstone
White opal, rough opal, fire opal, crystal opal, black and boulder opal and more all explode with a variety of color to outstrip the rainbow. Dozens of dazzling hues pulsate with an iridescence known as ‘fire’. Simply moving the stone causes a vivid display of colors as light splits across the opal’s surface.
Understandably, many first time opal owners say they were entranced, and the sight of their first opal lit a fire that grew to a passion.
Black Opal, mined from Lightning Ridge, is the most rare and valuable opal. Though it is called Black Opal it is a deceptive name derived from the dark depths of the gem’s base that enhances the brilliance of a kaleidoscope of color.
Another of the world’s most unique, most sought after and highly prized opals, Boulder Opal, is found only in the Australian outback, in northwest Queensland and along the boulder opal belt of the New South Wales border country. Possess You Own Unique Piece of Australia – Easily, Securely
Australia based .com company, Opal Auctions, know how to ensure their clients experience the Wow Factor, and have rightly earned their reputation as opal experts, having sold over 50,000 opals around the world to consistently ecstatic feedback from clients.
Wayne Sedawie, managing director of Opal Auctions says: “We have received absolutely fantastic feedback from 99.7% of our customers. We are constantly hearing, Wow Wow, even from experienced collectors.
“Because we are so passionate about opals ourselves, we feel the excitement and astonishment of our buyers and that drives us on even more to improve our site and our service,” he says. “A love of opals is like that. It drives a passion throughout all areas of your life. Even the Australian Opal basketball team draws inspiration from the fire within the opal.”
Opal Auctions say their site is its own gem field stocked with valuable nuggets of information, samples, and spectacular opal videos.
“Even experienced opal-holics are guaranteed to find an array of stock to take their breath away,” Sedawie says. Give Flight To The Imagination
An exquisite birthstone opal, delved from the Australian outback, alive with colors trapped for a million years, is always the right investment and always the right gift.
More than any other birthstone gem, the magical, mystical October birthstone gives flight to the imagination, and the heart.