HISTORY OF THE OCTOBER BIRTHSTONE
A stone dating back to 7000 BC which had been found in an area which is today known as Iraq, is the rose quartz. Rose quartz jewelry was known to be crafted by the Assyrians around 800-600 BC. A stone honored by the Tibetan and Oriental cultures and continuing to be one of the major carving stones of China, the rose quartz is one of the most common varieties of the quartz family. It is a silicon dioxide crystal and is usually found in the cores of granite pegmatites. It contains microscopic fiber inclusions which can occasionally produce a star effect.