Goodbye summer, hello orange leaves, cosy knits and the long drawn out countdown to Christmas. 

Our October babes, you're either a Libra - the loving, charismatic peacemakers - or a Scorpio - resilient, opinionated and driven. You're lucky, October has two birthstones: the pink tourmaline or, our personal favourite, the translucent opal. 

What do October birthstones symbolize? Representing hope, purity, love and truth (you lovely bunch of softies), the opal is technically made from rain. Well, kind of. During wet season in places like the Australian outback, showers soak the ground carrying dissolved silica into its ancient rock. The ensuing dry season sees the water evaporate leaving solid deposits of silica underground, which forms opal. Geography class over.

Many cultures revere the opal, believing it to be the most powerful of all gemstones. In ancient Arabic lore opals fell from the heavens during thunderstorms, while the ancient Greeks believed that it bestowed its owner with the gift of prophecy. And in the Middle Ages, opal was believed to preserve blonde hair, which, we’re sure you can agree, seems by far the most beneficial of its uses.

The one thing about opal that's hard to argue with, though, is just how good it looks set in 18k gold or sterling silver. Whether it's around your neck in our birthstone necklaces, in your ear with our opal huggies or studs, and even around your finger in the form of our Liberty opal ring.

It's the perfect way to make your next gift (or present to yourself) mean something. Browse our October Birthstone Jewellery.