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PRIMARY: OPAL - "The stone of visionaries and charisma"

Opal, the primary October birthstone, is a semi-precious gemstone with a hardness level between 5.5 and 6.5 on the Moh's scale. Opal is not a solid mineral; it is a rigid gel of silicon dioxide and water. In fact some opals may contain up to 20% water.

Because of their unique composition, opals are extraordinarily fragile and must be treated with care. It has been suggested that people periodically soak their opals in water overnight, to keep them from drying out.

Opals can be almost any color, from milky white to blue-green to even orange-red. The classic iridescent, multi-color-shifting variety is called precious opal. Many varieties like Peruvian opal and fire opal often do not have the "play of color" that signifies precious opal. Opal doublets are thin layers of opal with a backing made of a dark mineral like basalt or obsidian to bring out otherwise faint colors.

Alternate: Tourmaline - "The stone which inspires and awakens"

Tourmaline, the alternate October birthstone, is a semi-precious gemstone with a hardness level between 7.0 and 7.5. Tourmaline is easily the gemstone with the widest variety of color; although it most commonly appears in green, pink, black, and clear, it does come in every color of the rainbow.

Pink tourmaline in particular is the most traditional alternate October birthstone. "Tourmaline" comes from its Singhalese name, tura mali meaning "stone of mixed colors." Stones with a mixture of 2 or more colors are well-known; a specific type, green on the outside with a pink interior, is called watermelon tourmaline.