Months in the Calendar
October
Opal Birthstone

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Today you can copy this idea using well crafted calligraphy skills or simply use a decorative font from the computer.  Add your own border using wrapping paper, decoupage or other sketching skills.

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October

October derives from octo meaning eight as it was the 8^th month in the old Roman calendar.

Astrological Signs

Libra - Sept 23–Oct 23   Scorpio Sagittarius Oct 24–Nov 21

October Birthstones are Opal and Tourmaline

Opal is a very pretty gemstone that has a play of colours affected by the amount of light that it absorbs.  It ranges from fiery blues to milky white, but always with a flashing core.  The opal birthstone is a soft stone and is fragile because it has water within it that determines the gemstone’s appearance.  It is a gem that is almost always set in yellow gold and this enhances the blue colouration.  The fire within an opal is variable dependant on the mines it came from.

Derivation - Latin opalus (precious stone)

Pink Tourmaline - Tourmalines come in countless colours, but the pink tourmaline, an almost orchid pink, is the version of the opal birthstone for October.

Birthstones of the Calendar

The name of many calendar months have Latin derivations.  Birthstones were initially linked to the Zodiac, but now are linked to calendar months.  Birthstones have always been thought to have magical powers within them with such powers passed to the wearer of the gem.  This idea has been revived by new age followers who extol the virtues of natural quartz crystals. They emphasise the importance of good harmony, energy, chi, balance, and healing.  In addition the stones are often very pretty!  Talismanic Jewellery has gained new importance since the millennium.

Individuals often feel special wearing jewellery corresponding to their own birthstones.  Many people develop collections based around a fondness for their own particular birthstone.  Some months of the year have two or three stones as birthstones.  New gems and semi precious stones have become more popular.  Cultures have merged and mixed so much in the past 100 years, that original lists of birthstones popular in any one country have tended to merge so that several stones are often featured in lists.

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