I was at a Gem and Jewelry show recently and bought an opal and diamond ring from one of the vendors there. The opal is oval, 2.5 carets. The ring is 18k white gold. There are small diamonds surrounding the opal, and more small diamonds about 3/4 of the way down each side of the band. There is no "gallery" around the underside of the ring, so there isn''t much workmanship involved (that''s the one thing about the ring I don''t love -- no "gallery" on the ring)
I have some other opal jewelry, so I know what to look for....but this opal was different and really caught my eye. It''s semi-transparent with rolling bright flashes of color (blues, greens, and some orange/red). The setting was almost exactly what I had been looking for, for years. I love the way the diamonds surround the opal in such a delicate and elegant way.
The problem is -- I fear that I paid way too much forthis ring -- just under 2 K (and that was the reduced price after some bargaining). I also fear that the opal was misrepresented. Since I bought it I did more research on opals. The vendor told me that it was from the Australian Lightening Ridge mine, but it seems to me that it is probably a Mexican Jelly/Crystal opal. The vendor didn''t seem to know too much about opals. At first they tried to tell me it was a black opal, but I knew better than that! They had mainly sapphires, tourmalines, etc in their showcases. I have a receipt which describes the ring, and the vendor said they''d mail me the paperwork with the detailed descriptions (for insurance purposes).
The vendor''s store is in a city about 20 miles away from my house.
I plan to take the ring to a local jeweler close to home for an appraisal. If it appraises for less than I paid for it...and if I find out that the opal didn''t come from Australia (is there a way to tell??), what recourse do I have with the vendor? I put this purchase on a credit card, so at least I have that protection! I feel "like a schnook" -- that I paid a lot of money for something that is actually worth less money.
On the flip side, I love almost everything about this ring and I think the opal is lovely.
I have taken photos of the ring but haven''t uploaded them to my computer yet. I''ll post a picture if you think it would help.
Thank you!
I have some other opal jewelry, so I know what to look for....but this opal was different and really caught my eye. It''s semi-transparent with rolling bright flashes of color (blues, greens, and some orange/red). The setting was almost exactly what I had been looking for, for years. I love the way the diamonds surround the opal in such a delicate and elegant way.
The problem is -- I fear that I paid way too much forthis ring -- just under 2 K (and that was the reduced price after some bargaining). I also fear that the opal was misrepresented. Since I bought it I did more research on opals. The vendor told me that it was from the Australian Lightening Ridge mine, but it seems to me that it is probably a Mexican Jelly/Crystal opal. The vendor didn''t seem to know too much about opals. At first they tried to tell me it was a black opal, but I knew better than that! They had mainly sapphires, tourmalines, etc in their showcases. I have a receipt which describes the ring, and the vendor said they''d mail me the paperwork with the detailed descriptions (for insurance purposes).
The vendor''s store is in a city about 20 miles away from my house.
I plan to take the ring to a local jeweler close to home for an appraisal. If it appraises for less than I paid for it...and if I find out that the opal didn''t come from Australia (is there a way to tell??), what recourse do I have with the vendor? I put this purchase on a credit card, so at least I have that protection! I feel "like a schnook" -- that I paid a lot of money for something that is actually worth less money.
On the flip side, I love almost everything about this ring and I think the opal is lovely.
I have taken photos of the ring but haven''t uploaded them to my computer yet. I''ll post a picture if you think it would help.
Thank you!