"October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest."
October’s birthstone is the opal which is found in Australia, Mexico, and the U.S. The name Opal means “to see a change in colour” and occurs in several different colours:
• White Opal has a white body colour with pastel glints of rainbow colours.
• Black Opal has a blue/gray/black body colour and contains ironstone.
• Crystal (or water) Opal is transparent with flashes of colour.
• Fire Opal is translucent with a yellow, orange or red coloured body.
Opal is traditionally associated with happiness, faithfulness, loyalty and confidence. It has reputed healing properties for eye-related health problems and eye infections.
The Traditional Metaphysical Properties for the October Birthstone Opal are happiness, faithfulness, loyalty and confidence. The healing properties of the October birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to the eyes and eye infections. It’s commonly used to enhance visualisation, imagination and dreams.
And the more scientific stuff... :
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl and basalt.
