Gemstone Hints

October Stones: Opal and Tourmaline

There are many types of Opal, but the best come from Australia and exhibit a full range of spectrum colors. Many of the opal fields are being depleted, and thus the price of fine opals has been escalating. Opals are NOT bad luck; this is an Old Wives' Tale. Opals are not "soft" as is commonly thought...rather they are brittle, and vulnerable to extreme temperature changes. This is due to the fact that Opal, whichis mostly silica, has water molecules bonded. up to 15%. It is the water that is sensitive to temperature.

Tourmaline comes in a range of colors...from Black through the shades of green, to blue, to pinks and reds. Watermelon Tourmaline, as the name implies, is a tourmaline crystal that has a green outer layer and a pink to red inner layer. The most valuable Tourmalines are in the Red range and are called Rubellite. Much of the Tourmaline comes from Brazil, although the US hosts significant deposits in Maine and California.