The October birthstone isn’t one stone. It’s two. Opal is the traditional choice and gets top billing most places. Tourmaline is the newer addition and runs a close second. They earned their place for two very different reasons, and one of them spent a long stretch blamed for bad luck it likely never caused.
It’s worth saying plainly, same as with any topic here: none of this is scientifically validated. No controlled study has found that a gemstone changes a person’s health, luck, or personality. What follows describes documented history and tradition, and flags where the sources themselves call a story folklore.
Why Does October Have Two Birthstones?
GIA’s official birthstone guide lists Opal and Tourmaline side by side for October. It calls opal “the traditional October birthstone” and tourmaline “the newer October birthstone.” That framing explains the pairing. Opal is the long-established choice. Tourmaline was added to the modern list later, giving October a second option with a very different look.
The two stones split the month by personality. Opal is prized for its play-of-color: flashes of rainbow light moving across the stone as it turns. Tourmaline comes in nearly every color a gem can be. Sometimes it shows several colors in a single crystal. It is also the sturdier of the two for daily wear.
Opal: The Stone That Fell From the Sky
Opal’s folklore reads like a highlight reel of the ancient world. Arabic legend held that opals fell from the sky in bolts of lightning. Greek mythology tied their origin to Zeus’s tears of joy after defeating the Titans. Australian Aboriginal tradition describes the Creator arriving on a rainbow. He left these colorful stones wherever his feet touched the earth, according to the American Gem Society’s folklore history of opal. The Aztecs named fire opal after Quetzalcoatl. They credited it with fostering creativity.
The name itself travelled a long way. GIA traces it to the Sanskrit word upala, meaning “precious stone,” which became opalus in ancient Rome. In 75 AD, the Roman scholar Pliny compared opals to volcanoes and vibrant paintings, noting their play of color could mimic the shades of any gemstone, per the American Gem Society’s opal history. During the Middle Ages, opal was thought to bring the wearer luck. GIA adds that it is the traditional gift for a 14th wedding anniversary.
The Novel Said to Have Cut Opal Sales in Half
The bad-luck reputation opal carries today is tied to a specific book. In 1829, Sir Walter Scott published a novel called Anne of Geierstein. Its plot features an enchanted princess whose opal changes color with her moods. A few drops of holy water extinguish the stone’s magic fire, and the woman soon dies. The American Gem Society reports that within a year of the book’s publication, opal sales in Europe fell by 50 percent. The society presents this as folklore and legend, not settled fact, but the timing is striking.
Other bad-luck stories followed. According to the same account, Spain’s King Alfonso XII gave his bride an opal ring for their wedding, and she died. The ring then passed to his grandmother, sister, and sister-in-law, and each reportedly died while holding it. Alfonso wore it last and died shortly after. The society notes that a cholera epidemic at the time could account for the deaths. The legend of the cursed ring persisted anyway. Opal’s image recovered after 1850, when deposits discovered in Australia began supplying 95 percent of the world’s opal.
Tourmaline: The Stone Mistaken for Other Gems
Tourmaline’s history runs in almost the opposite direction. Instead of one dramatic reputation, it spent centuries mistaken for other gems. GIA’s history of the stone notes that the “Caesar’s Ruby” pendant in the Russian crown jewels is actually red tourmaline, called rubellite. A Spanish conquistador found green tourmaline crystals in Brazil in the 1500s and confused them with emerald. Cases like these continued for centuries, until scientists recognized tourmaline as a distinct mineral species in the 1800s.
The name comes from the Sinhalese word toramalli, which GIA translates as “stone with mixed colors.” That suits a gem that often shows multiple colors in one crystal. Empress Dowager Cixi of China was devoted to the vibrant rubellite color. According to GIA, San Diego mines sent 120 tons of gem rubellite to Imperial China between 1902 and 1910. In the late 1980s, electric green, blue, and violet tourmalines from Brazil’s Paraíba State entered the market. Scientists traced their intense colors to trace amounts of copper. GIA says the best Paraíba-type stones easily surpass other tourmalines in price. Tourmaline is the traditional gift for an 8th wedding anniversary.
Caring for Opal and Tourmaline
Durability is where the two stones differ most. Per GIA, opal ranges from 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, and even natural opal can fracture if exposed to high heat or sudden temperature changes. Its safest cleaning method is warm, soapy water. Storing it by itself keeps harder gems like diamonds and sapphires from scratching it. Opal doublets and triplets, which are thin slices glued to a base, should avoid prolonged water exposure because it can weaken the adhesive.
Tourmaline rates 7 to 7.5 and is generally suitable for everyday wear, according to GIA. Heat can damage it, and GIA recommends against ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Warm, soapy water and a soft brush work best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the real October birthstone, Opal or Tourmaline?
Both. October is officially recognized with two birthstones. GIA describes opal as the traditional choice and tourmaline as the newer one.
Is opal actually bad luck?
There is no scientific basis for it. The superstition is tied to Sir Walter Scott’s 1829 novel, in which a fictional opal’s magic fails and its owner dies. For most of earlier history, including the Middle Ages, opal was considered a lucky stone. Its reputation recovered after 1850, when Australian deposits made it widely available again.
Isn’t it a little convenient that a birthstone myth traces back to one novelist?
Fairly, yes, and it’s worth being direct about that. The 50 percent sales drop comes from one source, the American Gem Society, which itself labels the account as folklore and legend rather than established fact. The reasonable reading is that a popular novel plausibly shaped the stone’s reputation, but the exact scale of the effect isn’t independently confirmed here.
Why does tourmaline come in so many colors?
Different trace elements in the crystal produce different colors. In Paraíba tourmaline, for example, GIA reports that scientists traced the intense colors to trace amounts of copper. A single crystal can also show more than one color, which is how the stone got its name.
Which stone is more durable for everyday jewelry?
Tourmaline. It rates 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, while opal rates 5 to 6.5 and can fracture from high heat or sudden temperature changes.
So Which October Birthstone Should You Choose?
Neither stone is more correct than the other. Opal carries the deeper history, the more dramatic optical effect, and the famous superstition. Tourmaline carries a quieter story of mistaken identity, a nearly unlimited color range, and better everyday toughness. Choosing between them mostly comes down to whether you want shifting rainbow flashes or a wide choice of solid color. How hard you plan to wear the piece matters too.
For another case of one month carrying more than one traditional stone, Virgo Birthstone: Sapphire, Peridot, or Emerald? The Real Answer breaks down three traditions that each name a different stone. And for choosing a crystal by more than a calendar date, How to Choose the Right Crystal Based on Your Zodiac Sign covers that angle in more depth.
