Collection: October Birthstone Jewelry

What's in the October collection

Genuine pink tourmaline, opalite and faux opal, plus a few multi-birthstone pieces at the end. There is no genuine opal here. Opal is soft, holds water inside it and can crack if it dries out, which makes it a hard stone to wear every day at a gentle price. So the opal-look pieces are inspired by opal and labelled that way on every listing.

Opalite is man-made glass with a soft milky-blue glow that turns warm amber against light. Faux opal is a made stone that mimics opal's flash of colour. Neither is opal in the geological sense, and neither pretends to be.

Why opal flashes

Opal's colour is structure, not pigment. The stone is made of microscopic silica spheres stacked in a regular grid, and when they are the right size and evenly arranged, they split light the way a prism does. That is the play of colour, and it is why opal shifts as you move rather than sitting at one shade. Opalite and faux opal borrow the look without the water or the fragility.

Pink tourmaline, October's genuine stone

Tourmaline has one of the widest colour ranges of any gemstone family: pink, red, green, blue, black, and crystals that run through two or three shades at once. Pink tourmaline is the shade named for October when tourmaline joined the birthstone list in 1952, and it's the one people most often misfile under June because it pairs so naturally with pearl.

Pink tourmaline sits with the heart chakra and is worn for self-compassion and softness. Black tourmaline, its grounding, boundary-setting cousin, lives in the Protection collection.

What October's stones are for

Opal is worn for creativity, imagination and the freedom to change. Pink tourmaline is worn for kindness toward yourself while you do. Between them, October covers change held gently, which is a fair summary of the month. The October birthstone meaning guide covers it in more detail, including why opal became October's stone.

Caring for opalite, faux opal and tourmaline

Opalite and faux opal: wipe with a soft damp cloth, skip harsh cleaners, and store them apart from harder stones so they don't scratch. Pink tourmaline is tougher at 7 to 7.5 on Mohs, and warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth are all it needs. Gold-plated pieces come off before the shower, the pool and the hand lotion.

Practical cleaning and storing: the jewelry cleaning guide. Moonlight, smoke and sound: the crystal care guide.

Wearing it

Opalite glows most against dark fabric, so it shines with a black sweater and low light. Pink tourmaline and opalite pair beautifully: cool glow next to warm blush. For an October birthday, a pink tourmaline bracelet with an opalite drop earring is the whole month in one outfit.