October birthstone mothers rings have an opal, a precious gemstone available from under $100 to thousands of dollars depending on the various colors that are found inside.

October Birthstone

The opal, formed near the surface near former geothermal springs, is actually a form of silica. As a result an opal is typically more brittle than harder stones and should be put in strong settings when places in mothers rings.

October Birthstone Buying Advice

Unlike precious gems such as diamonds, rubies, emerald and sapphires, the value of opals is not decided as much on the four "C's" of Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat. Rather, the most valuable October birthstone opals are those that allow a splash of color to be seen on them in the light. Those with the most value have a dark background with colors of deep red, blue and green. Less valuable opals have a hazy background and some color but not a lot with play of various colors.

The most expensive opals, those over 10 carats and with brilliant splashes of colors, can cost thousands of dollars; an opal with a white or crystal background and dull colors can be found for under $100.

Opal Color Patterns

More specifically, the least expensive opals have small specs of color splashes. More valuable are those with a main color splash, although the size and the shape of the splash may appeal to different tastes that could affect value. The most valuable opals are those with patches of color with larger spots.

October Birth Flower

Consider giving the official October birth flower along with your mother's ring gift: the Calendula. It is a daisy that is particularly nice in shades of orange of yellow this that time of year.

Did You Know?

Birthstones originated from the story of Aaron's shield in the bible, which was said to be adorned with special stones symbolizing the 12 Israel tribes. It wasn't until 1912 that jewelers met in Kansas City to officially agree on which birthstones were to be matched with each month.

Next Steps

After selecting your opal birthstone, next, you'll need to decide on whether to get a 14-carat gold band, a 10-carat gold band or a sterling silver mothers ring band to go with it. You may also want to consider an engraved mothers ring for that extra-special message. Then you can design your own mothers ring by shopping at various sites online that often can cost less than mall stores because they don't have the extra overhead.