Because opal has the colors of other gems, the Romans thought it was the most precious and powerful of all. The Bedouins believed that opals contained lightning and fell from the sky during thunderstorms. When Australia’s mines began to produce opals commercially in the 1890s, it quickly became the world’s primary source for this October birthstone.

Opal Description

Opal History and Lore

Opal is an October birthstone.

There are a number of processes used to alter the color, apparent clarity, or improve the durability of gems.

Some gemstones have synthetic counterparts that have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties, but are grown by man in a laboratory.

Any gem can be imitated—sometimes by manmade materials or by natural materials chosen by man to impersonate a particular gem.