People born in October have two beautiful birthstones to choose from: Opal and Pink Tourmaline. How lucky! Here’s 10 things you didn't know about these beautiful gemstones.
- Tourmalines come in a wide range of colors, including jet black. Their name comes from the Sinhalese word toramalli, which means “stone of mixed colors.”
- Tourmalines can carry an electric charge, and are commonly used to create the spark used to light a gas stove.
- Because tourmalines come in so many different colors, they’re often mistaken for other stones. Some famous gems, including the “Caesar’s Ruby” pendant in the Russian crown jewels, are actually tourmalines!
- While they’re normally mined in Brazil, tourmalines can be found other places including Maine and California here in the US.
- Watermelon tourmalines are crystals that have grown with a pink inner layer and a green outer layer. When cut into slices, they look like the fruit!
- In medieval times, opal pendants were believed to ward off evil spirits and protect your eyesight.
- The name "opal" comes from the Greek word opallios, which means "to change in color."
- Opals are also the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift.
- Opals had a stint of bad press in the 1800s when they were believed to be unlucky. That’s because a character in a popular novel of the time possessed a magic opal, and (spoiler alert) she died. But Queen Victoria loved opals, and did much to popularize them again.
- Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds (among others) can scratch opals. To keep your opal jewelry safe, store it by itself, away from other jewelry items that could damage the stone.
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