Your October birthstone - the story behind the Opal

Your October Birthstone: The Story Behind the Opal

Goodbye summer. Hello conkers, heavy knits and the long run-up to Christmas.

October birthdays belong to Libras, the charming peacemakers, and Scorpios, resilient and driven. And October gets two birthstones: pink tourmaline, and our favourite, the opal.

What does opal symbolise?

Opal has long stood for hope, love and truth. Fitting for a month of softies.

It's also, more or less, made from rain. In places like the Australian outback, which produces most of the world's opal, seasonal rains soak into the ground and carry dissolved silica down into cracks in ancient rock. When the dry season comes, the water evaporates and leaves the silica behind. Over time, those deposits become opal. Geography lesson over.

A stone with a lot of stories

Few stones have collected as much folklore. In Arabic legend, opals fell from the sky in flashes of lightning. The ancient Greeks believed opal gave its owner the gift of prophecy. And in the Middle Ages, it was said to keep blonde hair from fading, which is arguably the most useful claim of all.

How to wear it

What's hard to argue with is how good opal looks against gold. Around your neck, the Opal October Birthstone Necklace is a small trillion-cut opal on a fine chain. In your ears, the Opal Huggie Earrings set an opal inlay into 9ct solid gold, or keep it simple with the Opal October Birthstone Studs. And for your hand, the Opal & Diamond Signet Ring pairs opal with lab-grown diamonds in solid gold.

Libras and Scorpios can add their sign too: the Libra and Scorpio zodiac necklaces layer well with a birthstone.

An October birthday gift that means something, whether it's for someone else or for you. Browse all our October birthstone jewellery.