Happy December! As the year comes to a close, so does our four part birthstone series. Not to worry if gemstones are your jam, we’ve got a packed post filled with timeless stones to assure we say Aloha to 2018 with a bang. Let’s jump right in!
October — Opal, Tourmaline
October babies have two birthstones to tickle their fancies. The name opal comes from the Greek word opallios, which means “to see a change in color.” The stone is made of up tiny spheres that diffract light to display all the colors of the rainbow. There are dozens of varieties of opals but the fire opal and boulder opal are more universally known. Australia produces 95% of the world’s opal supply with some help from Mexico, Brazil, Ethiopia, as well as Nevada and Idaho. For years, opal wearers have associate the stone with good luck, especially for those born in the month of October. Like opal, tourmaline is also known for its broad spectrum of colors, dare we say in every shade of the rainbow. Tourmaline is made up of a complete group of minerals, each with different physical properties and chemical compositions. Though tourmaline is most desirable for it’s impressive range of color options, its 7.5 Mohs rating makes it a very wearable and durable piece of jewelry. Ancient wearers believed the stone to protect against negative energy and evil. Today, many believe that the gem shield against toxins, pollutant and negativity all together.
November — Topaz, Citrine
For a long time, all yellow gems were associated with and considered topaz. And while topaz has been found available in many colors, it is still most known for its brown, orange and yellow tones. Topaz is known for calming tempers, curing madness and ridding of nightmares. While the stone measures an 8 on Mohs scale, it’s almost perfect cleavage makes it prone to cracking. If cut correctly, topaz is a very wearable jewelry. November’s second stone, citrine, also sits in the brown, orange, yellow toned family. Citrine is known as the healing stone for it’s ability to comfort, calm and soothe. It has often been called the “merchant’s stone” for its habit of attracting wealth and prosperity.
December — Tanzanite, Zircon, Turquoise
Since its recent discovery, tanzanite has risen in popularity. It’s exquisite deep blue and violet tones are truly remarkable. This stone is only found on a few square miles of Tanzania land. Tanzanite measure a soft 6.5 on the Mohs scale and is better suited for pendants and earrings as opposite to rings. Zircon, blue zircon in particular, is an alternative birthstone for December. Zircon is an underrated, gorgeous stone which is often mistaken for the synthetic cubic zirconia. Few people realize that this special natural gem is the oldest mineral on earth and holds lots of information of our planet. Zircon dates back more than 4 billion years and is believed to induce sleep and ward off evil spirits. Admired by people around the world, turquoise is best known for it’s distinct color. In fact, turquoise is one of the few stones to lend its name to anything that resembles its color. While Iran was the original source for turquoise, the United States now leads the world in production. Arizona, specifically, leads in both production and popularity. In history, turquoise has been admired by kings and commoners, Egyptians and Persians, Aztecs and Native Americans alike. It helps to adorn jewelry, weapons, clothing and is known to grant power and protection.
There you have it! The fourth and final part of our Birthstone Series. We hope you’ve enjoyed learning with us, because we sure have loved the journey. We’d like to thank you for your constant support here at Heart to Heart and wish you all a Happy Holidays!