October Newsletter - Seasons Change

October usually sees the end of the rainy season for us here in Thailand although judging from the torrential downpour that soaked me in seconds at the end of a bike ride at the weekend it may be a few weeks away yet.

Did you know that one of October’s birthstones, Opal, is created by rain? Rainfall millions of years ago landed on rocky terrain. The water seeped through crevices and cracks picking up silicon deposits on the way before collecting into little pools.

Over time the water evaporated leaving the silica behind to harden. This happened again and again, leaving layer after layer of silica until it completely filled a gap. This process can form a centimeter of opal in a period of 5 million years.

Alternating rainy seasons and dry seasons, extended droughts and flooding have all had their influence on the creation of this stunning gemstone – even millions of year later some opals can be as much as 20% water!

For more information about how opals were formed and all sorts of other cool stuff check out this article

We have also recently published an article on the meaning and healing properties of this mysterious gemstone. With a connection to man which goes back at least 6000 years and such a magical look, opals are particularly rich in legend and lore.

Opal Meaning and Healing

By the way, opals are not the only birthstones available for October. Perhaps the only gemstone that can rival opals for the variety of colors is tourmaline and this gemstone also has a special connection to all those born in October.

As many parts of the world seem set to enter lockdown again, the Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT) have just announced The International Chanthaburi Gems and Jewelry Festival 2020. It will be held in our home town here in Thailand from December 18-22. They are expecting to have 300 booths displaying and selling gemstone related products from local and foreign entrepreneurs. We shall keep you posted.

We only have three seasons in Thailand – the hot season, the rainy season and the cool season – although they could just as easily be called the very hot season, the hot and wet season and the slightly less hot season.

In the northern hemisphere we have just begun the fall or autumn season while down in the southern parts of the world, spring has just arrived. Take a look at our two seasonal articles for a few ideas of which gemstones match the time of year.

Gemstones for Autumn

Gemstones for Spring

Last week, miners in South Africa, uncovered 5 high quality blue diamonds, totalling nearly 90 carats. Last year, the same mine sold a 20 carat blue diamond for $15 million but times have changed dramatically since then.

We have an article on blue gemstones for jewelry here, which includes diamonds and 8 great alternatives:

Blue Gemstones for Jewelry

If you fancy digging up a gemstone of your own it might be time to get the trowel out and head to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Kevin Kinard found a 9 carat diamond on a recent search there and it is the second largest diamond ever found in the park since it opened back in 1972 – well done, Kevin.

A quick reminder that November’s birthstones are the deep yellow and orange Citrine and the colorful Topaz – both great gemstones. I shall tell you more about them next month but if you want to learn about both these stones we have lots of articles on them both. You can start here:

November Birthstones

Customer Questions

Every month we answer questions of general interest from our customers. Please feel free to send your questions or suggestions to our support team at help@gemselect.com

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That will do for now, have a happy Halloween and Day of the Dead.

Everyone please stay safe

Happy Gemstone Hunting!

Team GemSelect