I’ll find any excuse to mark an occasion with jewelry, and the baby’s birthday was certainly one worth celebrating. It’s taken me a few months to figure out exactly how to commemorate it. I thought for a moment that I might take this as an opportunity to have two stones reset in a toi et moi setting — my original emerald cut engagement diamond and an old European cut diamond that I believe belonged to my great grandmother, but I’ve decided to put that project on hold for a bit until I can figure out exactly what I want.
Instead, I decided to go a bit more literal and find a vintage birthstone piece that would feel fittingly sentimental. I had already gotten a small opal welded bracelet at Shelter in DC last summer (really hedging my bets that baby would, in fact, arrive in October), but this was my opportunity to get something with a bit more presence.
Finding an October Birthstone Memento
Here was the hiccup in this process: I don’t love either of the October birthstones. The traditional birthstone is opal, which I find to be an incredibly mesmerizing stone. I love looking at it. All of the flecks of fiery color and its otherwordly quality — it’s truly a fascinating gemstone. But it’s not really my style. I like to think of it as the Lisa Frank of gems. It has hot pink, turquoise, purple, and green all shimmering beneath its opalescent surface. And I prefer something that’s a bit more tailored, like a sapphire or a ruby.
The other October birthstone is pink tourmaline. Now, while I’m a blue girl, I do occasionally dabble in pink. But the pink that I prefer is a specific warm-leaning-blush pink. A cool magenta doesn’t do it for me (perhaps it’s because I’ve had my colors done and I’m solidly a warm spring). I even ordered a pink tourmaline pendant thinking perhaps I could make it work, but, no, it just didn’t feel right.
My search went back to opals, but I focused in on vintage opal pendants, which I realized I could find for an affordable price, even in solid gold. I spent a few weeks looking here and there before honing in 1960s-era opals, which struck the right balance between older styles, which felt too ornate and floral, and newer designs, which felt too minimalist and modern. I eventually landed on a 14k vintage pendant with detailing that looks like a crown around the setting. It feels like a mod, vibey 1960s look that would be perfect with a mumu, which we know is my three-season look.
Where to Buy Vintage Opal Jewelry
As I was sourcing just the right opal, I went two routes: TheRealReal and Etsy. I often look to TheRealReal for jewelry since the prices can’t be beat, but Etsy is a fabulous source for vintage jewelry if you’re willing to dig through pages of listings. The necklace I ended up finding was on Etsy, and I’ve rounded up a bunch of the others that I found along the way. The other two front runners were this opal and ruby pendant and a pendant that is extraordinarily similar to the one I purchased, but its setting resembles a sun or lion’s mane — it also comes with the chain, which I didn’t need.
Of course, anytime you’re buying fine jewelry offline, you want to find a seller that you trust. I always spend time reading through the reviews and making sure they’ve done their due diligence, and, I’ve always been happy with where I’ve ended up.
