October birthstone baubles

I was particularly excited about this month’s blog since October has two dedicated birthstones.

The first, and probably the one most consumers already know about, is opal.

This stone will forever make me think of my mother. As an October baby, she has always been a huge fan of opal and gladly wears her birthstone whenever she can. It is a constant in her jewelry collection and gave me an appreciation for the stone.

Opals are an exceptional stone, and the play of color they offer make them unique in their beauty.

In fact, it was the stone’s ability to show the colors of all the other gems that led the Romans to believe it was the most precious and powerful of all, according to the GIA. They associated it with hope and good luck, and many cultures have credited the gem with supernatural origins and powers.

While I think everyone appreciates all the different types of opals available, I’ve focused on white opals in this blog post since they tend to be the opals most often associated with birthstone jewelry.

The second birthstone for October, tourmaline, is a personal favorite.

The stone is valued for its beautiful range of color, which, according to an old Egyptian legend, is because on its long journey up from the center of the Earth, tourmaline passed over a rainbow and in doing so, assumed all its colors.

Tourmaline is thought to bring courage and strength to the wearer. For someone looking to step out of the traditional birthstone box, I couldn’t think of a better gemstone.

Here are 10 pieces of jewelry dedicated to the two stars of October.

Ilana Ariel’s white sapphire and opal stud earrings in 14-karat yellow gold ($580 each; each stud is sold separately)

Stuller’s 14-karat white opal and diamond necklace ($720)

This is the “Lindsay Allison” necklace from Dana Rebecca Designs, featuring opals and diamonds set in 14-karat rose gold ($1,155).

Logan Hollowell’s white opal “Waterdrop” earrings with diamond pave accents in 14-karat yellow gold ($1,800)

Le Vian’s Chocolatier pendant with an opal accented with brown and white diamonds and set in 14-karat rose gold ($2,347)

Melissa Joy Manning’s raw green tourmaline studs wrapped in recycled 14-karat yellow gold ($300)

These are ILA’s oxidized silver studs with faceted pink tourmaline and diamonds accents ($1,320).

A Paraiba tourmaline and 18-karat gold necklace from Amali ($1,630)

Yasuko Azuma’s Paraiba tourmaline ring set in 18-karat yellow gold ($1,780)

A pink tourmaline, diamond and 18-karat yellow gold ring from Audrius Krulis ($1,900)