October Birthstone: Opal & Tourmaline Guide [2025]

October is one of the rare months with two mesmerizing birthstones. Opal reveals shifting rainbow fire, while tourmaline offers an incredible spectrum of colors.

For October-born individuals, these gems symbolize creativity, emotional depth and the multifaceted nature of this autumn month. Whether you feel closer to Libra’s balance or Scorpio’s intensity, your birthstone reflects your unique character.

Opal creates color through light. Tourmaline creates color through chemistry. Together, they capture the richness and complexity of October’s spirit.

October-born individuals often share the same dynamic qualities expressed by their two birthstones. Opal highlights creativity and emotional fluidity, while tourmaline reflects complexity and authenticity.

Creative spirit (Opal)

If you feel drawn to opal, you likely have a strong artistic instinct. Like the gem’s shifting play-of-color, your creativity appears in flashes of inspiration. You see beauty where others overlook it, and you’re capable of connecting ideas in original ways.

Adaptability & emotional intelligence (Opal)

Opal’s changing colors mirror your natural versatility. You adapt to situations with ease and sincerity, showing the side of yourself that best fits the moment without losing who you are.

Multifaceted personality (Tourmaline)

Tourmaline’s wide range of colors reflects your ability to embrace all parts of yourself. You don’t fit in one box. You can be analytical and intuitive, grounded and imaginative, strong and gentle. You see these contrasts as part of your authenticity.

Depth & balance

Those who connect with darker opals often resonate with emotional depth and transformation, a theme that speaks to Scorpio energy.

Pink tourmaline, softer and harmonious, aligns more naturally with Libra’s pursuit of balance, beauty and diplomacy.

Opal – The Play-of-Color Gem

Opal is meaningful for many October-born individuals because it doesn’t just show color. It transforms light into shifting rainbows. Its play-of-color mirrors the creative nature of October souls: beauty that appears through movement, changing perspective and emotional depth.

Ancient Romans believed opal carried the essence of all gemstones in one, symbolizing complete creative potential.

Black opal, with its flashes of color against dark body tones, evokes brilliance found through adversity.

White opal, softer and pastel, represents quiet creativity and subtle inspiration.

For detailed information about opal varieties, quality factors, and care requirements, explore our comprehensive opal buying guide.

Tourmaline – The Rainbow Gemstone

Where opal creates color through light, tourmaline carries color in its very structure. It is one of the few gems that naturally appears in the full rainbow spectrum, sometimes within a single crystal.

The Sinhalese name “turmali,” meaning “mixed colors,” reflects the idea that some individuals are not meant to fit one box. October-born people who resonate with tourmaline often see their own multifaceted nature in it.

Pink tourmaline symbolizes compassion and emotional courage.

Watermelon tourmaline, with its pink center and green rim, perfectly illustrates emotional wisdom: a soft heart protected by healthy boundaries.

For comprehensive information about all tourmaline varieties and selection guidance, visit our detailed tourmaline buying guide.

October’s birthstones carry centuries of symbolic meaning, unissant traditions anciennes et interprétations modernes.

Ancient Symbolism

In ancient Rome, opal was valued above all other gemstones. Its shifting colors were believed to contain the virtues of every other stone. The famous story of Senator Nonius choosing exile rather than surrendering his opal to Mark Antony illustrates how revered it was.

Egyptian legend describes tourmaline rising from the earth along a rainbow, collecting every color as it emerged. This myth reflects tourmaline’s essence: the integration of many experiences into a unified, authentic self.

Modern Interpretation

Today, opal represents creativity, emotional depth and the beauty revealed through changing perspective.

Tourmaline symbolizes protection, inspiration and the ability to embrace one’s full spectrum of feelings and identities.

Spiritual Associations (Symbolic, not scientific)

While not scientifically supported, many people connect:

• White opal with clarity and higher perspective

• Green and pink tourmaline with compassion, balance and emotional healing

• Black opal with resilience and grounded strength

These meanings are symbolic rather than literal, but they can add intention and mindfulness to the way you wear your birthstone.

October spans two zodiac signs, each resonating with different aspects of the dual birthstones. Understanding these connections helps you choose the variety that best supports your astrological nature.

Libra (September 23 - October 22): Balance & Beauty

Libra energy seeks harmony, aesthetic beauty, and diplomatic balance. Pink tourmaline perfectly embodies these qualities. Its soft, consistent color reflects Libra's graceful composure—the ability to maintain equilibrium while navigating interpersonal complexity.

Libra's ruling planet Venus governs love and beauty. Pink tourmaline's association with the Heart Chakra aligns with Libra's natural focus on relationships, partnership, and creating beauty through balanced composition.

Libra-born individuals often appreciate opal's aesthetic sophistication—its ability to create beauty through subtle interaction rather than bold declaration. White or crystal opal, with its gentle play-of-color, matches Libra's preference for understated elegance.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21): Intensity & Transformation

Scorpio energy embraces emotional depth, transformative experiences, and penetrating insight. Black opal and deep red rubellite tourmaline resonate with Scorpio's intense nature.

Black opal's dramatic color flashes against dark backgrounds mirror Scorpio's enigmatic presence—depth that reveals itself selectively, brilliance emerging from apparent darkness. The stone symbolizes Scorpio's core gift: finding meaning in mystery, discovering beauty through transformation, transmuting darkness into light.

Rubellite's passionate red aligns with Scorpio's fierce loyalty and emotional intensity. This variety represents Scorpio's capacity for profound connection—love that burns with sustaining heat rather than brief flame.

Whether you identify more with Libra's harmonious balance or Scorpio's transformative intensity, your October birthstone offers symbolic support for your sign's essential qualities and life lessons.

October birthstones mark life's transformative passages with profound symbolic resonance. Whether celebrating personal milestones or honoring relationships, opal and tourmaline embody the creative spirit and multifaceted nature of those born in this month.

Coming of Age & Personal Milestones

For 18th and 21st birthdays, October birthstone jewelry symbolizes the emergence of authentic self—just as opal's play-of-color reveals hidden beauty through light. Tourmaline's natural resilience represents the strength gained through life experiences, making it an ideal talisman for the journey into independent adulthood.

October-born creatives often receive opal jewelry to honor first exhibitions, published works, or musical debuts. The ancient Romans believed opal contained the virtues of all gemstones—the ultimate symbol for creative versatility.

Commitment & Partnership

Tourmaline engagement rings have gained favor among October couples seeking alternatives to traditional diamonds. The gemstone's rainbow spectrum symbolizes the multifaceted nature of partnership—the many roles partners play, the various emotions they navigate together, the different versions of self they support in each other.

Watermelon tourmaline, with its pink heart surrounded by green, naturally evokes the protective love that sustains long-term commitment. Its dual-color nature represents the balance between individual identity and shared life.

For those drawn to opal's romantic mystique, protective bezel settings transform this delicate gem into engagement jewelry suitable for careful wear—a testament to love that honors both beauty and fragility.

Anniversary Traditions

The 14th wedding anniversary marks opal as the traditional gemstone. Fourteen years of partnership deserves opal's depth—a stone whose colors shift and deepen with movement, just as relationships evolve with time.

JOALYS offers personalized guidance in selecting pieces that match both occasion and personal symbolism, ensuring your October birthstone becomes a lasting touchstone for life's most significant moments.

our preference for opal or tourmaline often reflects how you navigate the world. Whether through creative fluidity or grounded versatility.

Choose Opal if…

• You’re inspired by sudden flashes of creativity and shifting ideas.

• You express different sides of yourself depending on the moment, and you value emotional nuance.

• You appreciate subtle beauty that reveals itself gradually rather than bold color at first glance.

• You’re drawn to romantic, vintage, or bohemian styles.

• You don’t mind caring for a delicate gemstone and see that care as part of its charm.

Best opal settings: pendants, earrings and rings in protective bezel styles.

Choose Tourmaline if…

• You’re adaptable, resilient and shaped by varied life experiences.

• You embrace your multifaceted nature rather than fitting into a single definition.

• You want a meaningful stone that can handle daily wear without worry.

• You love vibrant, saturated color or bold statement pieces.

• You lead an active lifestyle and need jewelry that moves with you.

Best tourmaline settings: engagement rings, everyday pieces, stackable bands and colorful statement jewelry.

Honoring Your Rhythm

Tourmaline is ideal for daily wear thanks to its resilience.

Opal shines in protected placements or special moments where its color can be enjoyed mindfully.

Many October-born people choose both — tourmaline for everyday life and opal for meaningful, creative occasions. It reflects October’s essence: you contain many facets, and each deserves its moment.

Opal is a delicate gemstone and needs gentle, mindful care to keep its beauty.

Do

• Store in a soft, fabric-lined box away from heat sources.

• Clean with a slightly damp soft cloth only.

• Remove during sports, housework, swimming and anything involving impact.

• Choose protective settings such as bezels or halos.

Don’t

• Don’t use ultrasonic cleaners.

• Don’t expose to bleach, chlorine, perfume or hairspray.

• Don’t expose to sudden temperature changes.

• Don’t store opal with harder gemstones that can scratch it.

Crazing (fine internal cracks) is permanent, so prevention is key.

Tourmaline is much easier to maintain.

Do

• Clean with warm soapy water and a soft brush.

• Ultrasonic cleaning is fine if the stone has no fractures.

• Any setting style works safely.

• Suitable for daily wear.