The Tourmaline
The tourmaline gemstone is found in a wide range of colors including blue, red, green, pink, and yellow, among many other colors, though it should never be confused with precious gemstones such as colored diamonds, tanzanite stones, or emeralds. Ancient legend has it that the tourmaline traveled down the rainbow and it is for this reason that it is found in so many colors. Like many other gemstones, it is believed that the tourmaline strengthens both the body and the spirit, particularly the nervous system, blood, and lymph nodes. Additionally, the tourmaline was viewed as a means of inspiring creativity and was thus used as a talisman by artists and writers.
The name tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese (language spoken in Sri Lanka) “tura mali,” which means “the stone of mixed colors.” In terms of hardness, tourmaline stones are 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale. Tourmaline stones can be one of many colors, can be a combination of two colors, and can even possess three colors. These colors include black, bluish-black, dark brown, medium brown, yellow, red, reddish purple, pink, and colorless.
OPAL
The opal is the more modern birthstone for October and is also used as the gemstone for one’s 13th wedding anniversary. The name opal comes from the Latin word “upala,” which means “precious stone.” Opals date back fifty-to-sixty million years ago to the Cretaceous period. Decomposed rocks combined with ground water created silica gel that accumulated and hardened in the Earth’s cavities. These formations are what we know as opals today. The chemical formula for opals is Si02.nH20.
There are two main types of opals; common opals and precious opals. Similar to colored diamonds, opals with higher color intensity are far more valuable. Additionally, like colorless diamonds, the more brilliant the opal, the more valuable it is. There are crystal-like translucent light opals and “milky,” opaque light opals. These types are considered more common though brilliant light opals are very pricey. Some brilliant opals can be even pricier than some black and boulder opals, which are rather valuable. Fine black opals can cost more per carat than colorless diamonds