October's opal is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Gems." Each stone appears to hold a rainbow of colors in its midst. Legend has it that, when the light hits the stone in just the right angle, the aura of the person wearing the stone can be seen. Other legends about the opal date far back in history. One, a legend amongst the Australian aborigines tells that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, in order to bring the message of peace to all the humans. In the very spot where his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and started sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow. That was the birth of the Opals.

The Opal probably gets its name from Sanskrit "upala," which means "valuable stone." It probably was the root for the Greek "opallios," which means "color change." The opal lends its name to other stones when they take on the sparkle, shine and changing color characteristics of the opal. The name that is given to such stones is "opalising," or "opalized."

Opal is available in a variety of different hues, including white opal (the most common), black, "boulder" opal (black opal with iron oxide), transparent crystal or water opal, and fire opal, which has a yellow to orange to red body color.

The opal is a delicate stone, primarily because of it holds differing percentage of water. The stone can be brittle, but can be enjoyed, if treated "royally." Opals should never be stored in a place that is too dry, or exposed to heat for extended periods of time. Opal jewelry should be worn as often as possible, so it may absorb humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer.

The opal has always had attached to it what many believe to be healing powers. Those who subscribe to this theory believe that the opal can cure depressions and help the wearer to find true love. The opal is supposed to enhance the positive characteristics for people born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. Black opal is recommended for those born under the Zodiac sign of Scorpio, and Boulder opal is the lucky stone for those born under the sign of Aries.

Whether or not you believe in the legends that surround it, or the healing powers that are ascribed to it, no one can deny the intrinsic beauty of the opal in all its incarnations.

 

Pink Tourmaline
The tourmaline derived its name the Sinhalese word "turmali," which means "mixed." It was also the name given to all colored crystals on the island of Sri Lanka at that time The tourmaline has the distinction of being found in name in more colors and combinations of colors than any gemstone variety. Because it comes in so many colors, it is often confused with any number of other stone look-a-likes. It's not surprising that oftentimes stones which, for example, were thought to be rubies, tuRn out to be tourmaline. Such was the case with the 17th century's Russian Crown jewels.

History has it that Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi, the last Empress of China, loved pink tourmaline and literally bought almost a ton of it from the New Himalaya Mines, a mine that is still producing tourmaline today. History reports that the Empresses wish was to be buried on a carved tourmaline pillow . . . and she was.

Tourmaline has another "face." It is of interest to the scientific community because it changes its electrical charge when heated. The stone becomes a polarized crystalline magnet that can attract light objects. Albeit years ago the scientific bases was unknown, in the Netherlands, tourmalines were called "aschentrekkers" because they attracted ashes and could be used to clean pipes.

Because the tourmaline is a relatively hard stone, there are many examples of Chinese engraved and carved figures in tourmaline from antiquity. Snuff boxes made of tourmaline can be seen in many of the Asian collections of museums.

Much like other stone, there are legends surrounding the tourmaline which ascribe to it certain powers. Just a few are . . .
In 18th Century literature the stone was thought to help artists, authors, actors and those in creative fields.
Also in the 18th Century, a Dutch scientist postulated that tourmaline wrapped in silk and placed against the cheek of a feverish child would induce sleep.
In Africa, tourmaline was once used as a stone to awaken one from "the dream of illusion."
In India of long ago, the tourmaline was thought to bring insight and help in the "discovery" of that which is good. It was further thought that it could "discover" who or what was the cause of troubles or evil deeds.

Alchemists valued it highly because of its pyroelectric effect and said to be the substance that would grant enlightenment, give power over spiritual affairs, reconcile opposites and change base metals to gold. Today, the tourmaline remains in its role as a talisman in Africa, amongst Native Americans, and aboriginal groups in Australia

Today, tourmaline comes mainly from mines in Brazil and Africa, some Sri Lanka and some also have been produced in the US (i.e., 1822, in the state of Maine). California became a large producer of tourmaline in the early 1900s.