October Is for Opals: The Most Beautiful Birthstone Jewelry to Wear This Month

October is one of a handful of months that have multiple birthstones; in this case, opal and pink tourmaline. But it’s the fiery yet oceanic opal that is most firmly identified with jewelry options for those born in the 10th month of the year. The October birthstone is at its most iconic in its blue or whitish rainbow-flecked form. Opals also come in milky pink, rare rainbowed black, and the orange Mexican fire opal.

Traditionally, opals have been associated with bad luck, but so has spilling salt and getting up on the left side of the bed. The sole scientifically verifiable ill omen around opals is that, at 5.5 to 6 on the Moh’s scale, they scratch easily and are quite porous. Use caution when wearing opals, especially in a ring or bracelet, because jewelry worn on the hands takes extra punishment. But opals are well worth the extra care for the special way that they can draw the eye with a color play more immediate than a diamond and more varied than other colored gemstones.

Here are some of our favorite pieces of October birthstone jewelry.

Paradise Bird Unenhanced Boulder Opal Brooch | Tiffany & Co.

This past summer’s release of the storied Tiffany Blue Book sang with the Hidden Garden collection, which included this incredible black opal High Jewelry take on Jean Schlumberger’s beloved Bird on a Rock design, set in platinum and gold.

Diorissima High Jewelry Opal Ring | Dior

This ultimate couture cocktail ring was just released to the public eye on September 28 after being developed in the mind of Dior haute joaillerie director Victoire de Castellane and the Dior workshops. de Castellane’s use of opals in the latest Diorissima collection chapter was both breathtaking and abundant, with uses ranging from a focal point to the more painterly “happy cloud” motif.

Blue Lagoon Australian Opal Cuff | Margot McKinney

Made from 18-karat brushed white gold, this cuff bracelet from Margot McKinney features an astounding Australian boulder opal of nearly 58 carats as its center stone, surrounded by turquoise, diamonds, blue sapphires, tsavorites, and peridots. The opal is the lagoon, the turquoise the water-worn boulders around it, perfect for sitting and contemplating.

Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 | Rolex

Opals also come in milky pink, as seen in the dial of the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 in white gold and diamonds. In this case, a slice of the stone forms the backdrop to 10 diamond-encrusted Roman numerals plus the day and the date, while the bezel is trimmed in white diamond brilliants. Unlike with enamel or lacquer, the softly glowing pink comes from the birthstone itself.

Opal and Diamond Edged Oval Earrings | Jamie Wolf

New York-based Jamie Wolf first gained notice when her work began appearing at Barney’s in the early 2000s; before that, she was a dancer with New York City Ballet for almost a decade. That background continues to inform her work with a certain tasteful theatricality. The Opal and Diamond Edged Oval Earrings are exuberant without being too heavy, while the rosette forms a dreamy medallion of color.

Australian Black Opal Ring | Martin Katz

Master jeweler Martin Katz plays a stunning game with the setting of the 10-carat Australian Black Opal Ring by turning it in to an extension, almost, of the stone itself. The greens and blues in the nearby tsavorites and sapphires each pick up a tone in the jaw-dropping October birthstone at the center. The setting is more like a small mosaic than a halo.

The Lagoon Bracelet | Cartier

The Lagoon bracelet from Cartier shows off one 85-carat-plus oval cabochon black opal, framed by sapphire beads, emerald beads, and Paraiba tourmalines. It’s reminiscent of the Mughal ideas that Pierre Cartier himself adored.

Eclipse Black Opal Pendant | Noor Fares

Noor Fares frames a 4.20-carat black opal doublet with a crescent of pavé diamonds, transforming the celestial phenomenon of an eclipse into a graphic 18-karat grey-gold talisman. There is also a pair of matching earrings.

Surrounding Bracelet | Fernango Jorge

Fernando Jorge brings a sensual approach to color and form to the 18-karat rose gold Surrounding bracelet. Hand-carved pink opals form a rhythmic procession around the wrist, punctuated by 1.50 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds. The piece belongs to Jorge’s Surround collection, which juxtaposes precious gems with natural materials. Founded in 2011, Jorge’s namesake house draws on both his Brazilian roots and his longtime base in London.

One-of-a-Kind Tropical Flower Necklace | Irene Neuwirth

This hand-carved opal pendant on a rose gold chain is just small enough to fit in the “delicate little somethings” genre for one class of jewelry lover while landing in the “substantial” column for another. The attention to detail in the rendering of the folds and veins of the petals is exquisite.

Spike Earrings | Arman Sarkisyan

A little bit punk with the spike, a little bit antique Georgian with the white diamond on blackened background, a little bit stardust with the shape—and that’s all before you get to that quintessential pulsing blue of the opal in these elongated starburst dangling earrings. Armenian-born, Los Angeles-based Arman Sarkisyan began learning goldsmithing at about age 12 at his father’s bench, studied architecture, and specializes in infusing an array of old-world inspirations with modern geometry.