Opal and Tourmaline

The famous Roman Historian Pliny described Opal as, “There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil.” Such is the beauty of opal; the intense play of colors like a rainbow lends the stone a divine appearance.

Opals derive their name from the Greek word ‘Opallios’ which means ‘change of color’. Many of these beautiful stones display a characteristic continuous change of colors, which is called ‘opalising’. The early Romans associated this stone with hope and purity. The much envied color of this stone comes from its distinctive formation process. Opals are composed of the hydrated silica spheres. And it is the arrangement of these spheres, in size and in pattern that results in the myriad colors of this gem.

Australia is the classic country of its origin. Earlier, almost 95 percent of world’s opal came from the Australian mines. Owing to the mesmerizing color and sacred powers, Australian aborigines bestowed the name ‘rainbow serpent’ to this stone.

Depending on its color and occurrence, opals come in many varieties such as Black Opal, White Opal, and Mexican Fire Opal. Opals that exhibit play of colors in body are referred to as precious opals while the ones that do not display its characteristic play of colors are referred to as common opal.

These amazing gemstones are the birthstones for the month of October and also the anniversary stones for 14 years of marriage. For ages they have been symbolic of purity and innocence. Each piece of opal is believed to be unique and has its individual identity, and for the same reason opal jewelry makes a great romantic gift.

Just one word of caution for these gems, opals tend to crack when dry. Hence, they must not be exposed to anything potentially drying. Periodically one could also immerse opals in water for several hours to preserve it fire and colors.

Besides Opal, Tourmaline is the other birthstone for the month of October. These stones can be found in just about every color. Egyptians called the stone ‘gemstone of the rainbow’. According to an Egyptian legend, on its way to the center of earth, tourmaline passed a rainbow and captivated all its colors.

The word tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese word ‘turamali’ which means ‘stone with many colors’. This stone has one of the widest range of colors, the most common being black, but they also come in pink, yellow, blue and green.

Fine species of these gems exhibit concentric zoning, they are red on the inside and green on the surface. This variety is referred as ‘watermelon’ tourmaline.

California has been major contributor of tourmalines. The Dowager Empress of China (last Empress of China) was in love with pink tourmalines and till the time she was alive every year tons of pink tourmalines were traded between the two nations. The fact that when she died, she was buried with a huge gemstone pillow made up of these beautiful gems highlights her passion for them.

The most popular varieties of these stones include:

Rubelite – Pink to red hued tourmaline is called rubelite.

Indicolite – This is the blue variety of tourmaline and it sometimes is also found with a greenish hue.

Chrome – It is rare variety of tourmaline and has anintense green hue.

Tourmalines are also celebrated for their rare electrical property. When heated, these gems acquire an electrical charge with positive and negative charge on opposite ends. The Dutch first observed this magnetic field behavior and they used the same to collect ash residue from their pipes. For the same reason they named tourmaline “asshentrekers” or ash drawers.

The incredible array of colors that these gemstones offer and their affordable prices has earned them universal popularity and makes them an ideal choice for all kinds of modern jewelry.

These October birthstones are also the anniversary stones for 8 years of marriage. These stones are known to balance emotions and guarantee happiness in a relationship and inspire creativity. These multi faceted stones are believed to play a major role in jewelry industry in the future.