Fall Birthstones
Fall Birthstones
The Diamond Spot continues its tour of all the birthstones on the calendar. We venture into the gemstones associated with birthdays during the fall season: the months of September, October, and November. These precious gems, sapphires (September), opals (October), and topazes (November), round out fall months’ birthstones.
September – Sapphire
Sapphires are the blue gemstone from the mineral corundum and come in every color in the rainbow other than red. That’s because rubies are the red variety of the gem from the same mineral.
Depending on the trace elements that would include; chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, and titanium, these elements determine the color of the gem since corundum is naturally colorless. “Fancies” are referred to as any sapphire color other than blue.
Pink sapphires tow a fine line between ruby and sapphire. In the U.S., these gemstones must meet a minimum color saturation to be considered rubies. Pinkish orange sapphires called padparadscha (from the Sri Lankan word for “lotus flower”) can draw higher prices than some blue sapphires.
Coming from the Latin word sapphirus and the Greek word meaning “blue stone,” sappheiros, many believe that the word sapphire may have originally referred to the lapis lazuli. Others cite the Sanskrit word, sanipriya, which means “dear to Saturn” as the origin.
October – Opal
Discovered in Australia during the mid-1800s, the “Land Down Under” accounts for 95% of the world’s supply of opals. They are also found in Brazil, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, and Mexico in addition to Nevada and Idaho in the United States.
There are dozens of opal varieties found in nature, but only a few that are universally recognized, like the Fire Opal and Boulder Opal. Typically, opals are categorized by their background “body color,” which is usually black or white.
Due to opal’s delicate construction, they can crack under such conditions as extreme temperature, dehydration, or direct light. With its unique beauty, wearing opal jewelry is definitely worth the extra care needed to preserve the gem.
This gem’s name originates from the Greek word opallios, meaning “to see a change in color.” In ancient Roman times, the scholar Pliny often used the word opalus, when describing the kaleidoscopic rainbow of colors that could stimulate any stone in his writings.
This precious gemstone has been associated with good luck for centuries. Despite some superstitions that believe that wearing an opal by anyone not born in October is bad luck, the popularity of this gemstone remains at a high level.
November – Topaz
For many years, topazes were often named for all gemstones with a yellow color.
In actuality, topazes come in a variety of colors, and many believe that the first stones that donned its name weren’t even real topazes.
Topaz’s name derives from the ancient Greek name for St. John’s Island in the Red Sea, Topazios. Yellow gemstones were famously mined from that island, but the likelihood of them being real topazes are low, despite the island being known for their yellowish stones.
Pure topaz is colorless but can be tinted with impurities that take on any color in the rainbow—colors of this gemstone range from a yellow to brownish orange. Many times, they are mistaken for smoky quartz or citrine quartz, but quartz and topaz are unrelated minerals.
The Imperial topaz is the most prized due to its unique color, which showcases a vibrant orange with pink undertones. Despite its abundance in the market, blue topaz is often caused by an irradiation treatment and rarely occurs in nature.
Topaz is a strong and durable gemstone, and it makes for very wearable and durable jewelry when it is cut correctly.
Fall’s gemstones, sapphire, opal, and topaz, offer a variety of colors, shapes, and meanings. Visit The Diamond Spot‘s convenient Downtown Boston location to purchase custom pieces with these precious gemstones.