October babies are always so happy to find out that opal has an alternative birthstone, tourmaline, and that said stone comes in various colours! I really love tourmalines. They come in a lot of beautiful colours like sapphires. That being said, they are softer than sapphires. But I guess you get what you pay for!
Opals are beautiful but they are soft! They make great pendants but I try to avoid making opal rings as it doesn’t take much to smash an opal set in a ring! I love black opals and recently made myself a ring with one and every time I wear it, I’m worried I’m going to smash it.
If you are going to get an opal, try to stay away from doublets/triplets. They are slices of opal glued between layers of glass or quartz and some type of black stone or man-made material. With time, the glue compounds break down and they can fall apart. If you have a doublet/triplet you want to use, I would highly recommend making a pendant! And remember to take it off when submerged in water!
