Pink Tourmaline Fire Opal Celtic Knots Earrings in 14K Gold

Tourmaline is the alternate birthstone for October, along with the opal. The stone was first discovered by Dutch traders off the West Coast of Italy in the late 1600's or early 1700's. The name tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese term "turmali,"" which was the name given to all colored crystals on the island of Sri Lanka at that time. This all inclusive name indicates the inability of ancient gem dealers to differentiate tourmaline from other stones. In fact, at one time in history, pink and red tourmaline were thought to be rubies. Pink tourmaline tends to be pinker in color than ruby. However, their similarities in appearance are so strong that the stones in the Russian crown jewels believed to be rubies for centuries, are now thought to be tourmalines"... learn more

Mexican fire opals are named for their uniform flaming orange or cherry red body color. They are always very brightly colored, and can be a little bit cloudy to almost perfectly transparent. Transparent specimens have a good luster. Like the traditional opal, fire opals can occasionally display signs of iridescence in very bright light. Fire opals have a very low density, lower than that of glass, with which it is sometimes confused. Fire opals, like other opals, are relatively hard, rating a 5.5 to 6.5 on the hardness scale.... learn more

A Celtic knot, also referred to as the "mystic knot" or the endless knot, is also known as the "Triquetra." Celtic knots are an Irish symbol, and the most notorious artwork in Celtic history, first appearing around 450 AD. The knots can be seen in mosaics on Roman floors as well as in patterns in Islamic, Ethiopian, and Coptic art, as well as in Byzantine architecture, and architecture from all over Europe. There is not much information about the purpose of these Celtic knots, but because of the large repetition of their existence throughout history, we are able to infer some basic information about them.... learn more