An opal's tale

[katharath]

I posted about this on another thread, but I thought I'd give this one it's own thread since it's kind of crazy story.

A couple of months ago, my jeweler sent me a couple of opals to view. I knew I wanted to have one channel set as a pendant, but wasn't sure which one, so she sent me two to look at (she's in NY, I'm in Vegas). One was a nice boulder opal, the other a much smaller but still nice sized (and more expensive) Lightning Ridge free form shape, black body, no backing.

I rather quickly decided on the Lightning Ridge piece, it was about 4.85 carats I believe. And then, I dropped it on the floor and broke it in half. Yep. I dropped it on my tile kitchen floor, and I heard TWO sounds, and I knew I would find two pieces. It was awful The good thing is that it broke almost evenly in half.

I sent the pieces back to my (amazingly kind and understanding!!) jeweler, and we discussed options. She had them polished, and she kept one piece and had the other channel set in rose gold for me. I just got it, I think it's beautiful. It has a baby prong in front for stability. The channel wire is thicker than usual, it's noticeably thicker than a tourmaline I have from the same jeweler that is also channel set - and I really like that about it.

(Please note: vendor credit for pics; all pics EXCEPT the ones in my hand and the ones showing the break were taken by Yvonne Raley, at Cecile Raley Designs).

Pics:

Broken halves, on my kitchen counter right after it happened:

After polishing:

Set!

 

[chloeishere]

That is gorgeous-- I love the colors and the setting! Could I request a neck shot?

I'm also wondering if you'd mind sharing the name of the jeweler, I think someday I might like something similar!

 

[katharath]

That is gorgeous-- I love the colors and the setting! Could I request a neck shot?

I'm also wondering if you'd mind sharing the name of the jeweler, I think someday I might like something similar!

Sure, I can post more pics later, I'm on my phone now.

But I'm afraid my bad luck story is still going on. I noticed just a bit ago that there was a crack in the opal and actually a tiny tiny chip. I didn't notice it immediately bc it's right underneath the bale and hard to spot. It looks like when it was set, the tiny prong under the bale may have pushed down too hard and caused the chip and the crack. My jeweler didn't actually set it, she hires out for the channel setting bc it's done with a very expensive laser, so it's not her fault; it's just one of those things. The jeweler who did set it usually does fantastic work, I own another of his pieces and it's lovely; it's just bad luck.
So, I'm sending it back tomorrow. My concern is that it's too unstable for long term wear, and my jeweler agrees. We are either going to set the other half, or cut this one down a bit. I'm very sad now . This project feels like it's never ending!!

 

[katharath]

Oh, and my jeweler is Yvonne Raley, her etsy store is CecileRaleyDesigns. She has a few gorgeous channel set items up right now that DON'T have any issues, lol. She does about 90% of my gem jewelry (she doesn't do a lot of intensive metal smithing, so I buy that type of jewelry mostly elsewhere, but for classic styles and gorgeous affordable gems, I go to Yvonne).

 

[chrono]

I am sorry the opal keeps getting smaller and smaller. So even with the bezel holding it together and very gentle wear, it isn't recommended to keep it as is?

 

[katharath]

I am sorry the opal keeps getting smaller and smaller. So even with the bezel holding it together and very gentle wear, it isn't recommended to keep it as is?

I think it's mostly that my jeweler wants to be cautious, so she recommended returning it to her bc of worries of further cracking. She knows it's important to me to have a piece that will last for many years. I could've kept it as is; or I can have my choice of either the other opal, or this one after it's cut down again and reset. I will most likely go with the other opal; this half had the better color flash, but it's close enough that I would rather have a bit more sizewise.

I would actually love to hear any advice or thoughts of people familiar with opals - I only own two others and have not had them very long. A situation like this is new to me. Would you think it's okay to keep and wear this one - should I expect any issues down the line with it? I really love this gem so if it's possible to keep it and not have wearability issues, then I'd be fine with the little crack, it's not a big deal looks-wise.

I will post more pics to give a better idea.

 

[katharath]

Neck shots, but a bit hurried; sorry about that, the color flash isn't as good as the earlier pics, the lighting wasn't as good.

The first one shows the flaw better, to give a better idea. That's about as bad as it looks, that photo really emphasizes it. So - live with it or have the other one set? I don't think I mind it, as long as I don't need to worry about the stability of the opal. I'm leaning towards sending it back at this point though, just based on what my jeweler recommends. That's why I'd like to hear any thoughts if anyone has a different POV.

 

[katharath]

Now that I know what to look for, it just screams at me in every photo, lol!!

To give an idea of the size of the pendant (I don't think I mentioned this earlier, and I like to know these things) - it's about 13 mm up and down, not including the bale, and probably about the same across, although I haven't measured it. My pics make is look bigger than it is. It's small but not tiny, I like the size but don't think I'd like it cut down even smaller

 

[chloeishere]

Oh, and my jeweler is Yvonne Raley, her etsy store is CecileRaleyDesigns. She has a few gorgeous channel set items up right now that DON'T have any issues, lol. She does about 90% of my gem jewelry (she doesn't do a lot of intensive metal smithing, so I buy that type of jewelry mostly elsewhere, but for classic styles and gorgeous affordable gems, I go to Yvonne).

I saw that in the original post when I came back! Sorry!

It's beautiful, I'm so sorry it's damaged. I don't own any opal at this point, so I've got no idea on whether it'll be safe or not but it sounds like she's been a great vendor throughout the situation, so that's really encouraging!

Good luck, I'm sure we'd love to see pictures whatever you decide to do (get the pendant trimmed down and keep it, or use the other half)!

 

[pregcurious]

The pendant looks lovely. I hope it works out!

 

[katharath]

Well, I've decided to hang onto this one for now. My jeweler is going to have the other one set, and if I like it better than this one, I can trade for it. She thinks I should send this one in to be fixed, but I have this attachment to it and I really don't want to see it cut down anymore. For now I'm just hanging onto it, even though it's damaged I like it so much that I don't want to send it back. That's probably stupid of me, but I do have the option to switch out for the other one.

My jeweler is great though, she takes excellent care of me . I think she's upset that she didn't catch this before it shipped out, but she would go the extra mile to make sure I'm happy. I have bought so many pieces of jewelry from her that I can't even keep track, and I trust her completely.

 

[katharath]

I have an update on this

If you read the whole thread, you'll know that after the original opal (which was Lighting ridge, black, and approx 4.85 cts) broke, I chose to have one half set and my jeweler was going to keep the other.

However, after "my" half was set, it ended up being damaged with a small chip and crack. So, I worked things out with my jeweler and she offered me her half, which I just had channel set as well. I still have my original half, but I ended up setting the other one bc I was so worried about mine breaking all the way through. What that means is that I will have both, shortly. I've seen pics of the new one, it shipped out yesterday and should hopefully be here Monday. It turned out beautifully, actually better in many ways than the first one. The new one doesn't have quite as much color play as the other half, but it's got a lot going for it. It's the bigger half; it has a very pleasant, naturally symmetrical teardrop shape, and the setting on it is actually better than on the other one. The new one has baby prongs built into it it also, for stability, but these were built into the back, so there's nothing in the front; the appearance is smoother. It turned out so well!!

I'm very excited to have this one and will post pics when I get it. But I thought I may as well update the thread, since I'm so excited about it . I do have pics from my jeweler now, but they don't show the color play very well (the focus is on the work itself, she knows I've seen the opal many times!). So I'll hold off on pics until I have it in hand.

 

[FrekeChild]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by channel set on these. It looks like a semi bezel-y thing with a couple of prongs? I've never seen a setting done quite like this one, so I don't really know what to call it. Channel set is when there are two bars, and the stone is set in the channel between them.

No matter what, gorgeous opal! I hope everything works out and at least one pendant makes it through alright. I'm impressed on how upbeat you've been throughout this stone trauma!

 

[katharath]

Oops, sorry, it's probably just my incorrect phrasing. I've had a few things set this way and when I talk about it with my jeweler I always use that phrase "channel set" as a sort of short hand.

The setting is actually wrapping the gem with channel wire. I don't pretend to understand the process, but it's done with a very expensive lazer (like a $40,000 piece of equipment). Usually it doesn't require baby prongs. I've seen dozens of items that have been set by him, just like this, and my opals are the only ones he needed to build the baby prongs for. He said that they needed it bc they're so fragile. He does really nice custom work.

It's a very nice clean way to set gems as there is no backing, it's just set with the channel wire. So you can see the entire gem, front and back, just the channel wire wrapping around it. Supposedly the work is so nice that it looks beautiful even under a loupe, but I don't know that from personal experience, that's according to my jeweler.

As far as remaining calm about the whole thing - well, I wasn't at first, lol! I was freaked out when I broke the opal, I felt like I had killed this beautiful big opal! I felt sick to my stomach. Then to have my first one chip and break with the setting process - ouch! That was so disappointing too. But this latest one appears to have made it through with no issues. It should be here tomorrow and I'll post pics then. Thanks for the kind words

Oh, and here's a link to some of my jeweler's other channel wire items, she sells a lot of them in this style! I'll post a couple if anyone wants to see, just for fun. It's really neat how the gems look set this way.

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/126707989

http://www.etsy.com/listing/130586033/sale-colombian-emerald-pear-dangly?ref=cat_list_5

http://www.etsy.com/listing/150805720/sale-emerald-cut-shape-colombian-emerald?ref=cat_list_11

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/130128946

 

[FrekeChild]

Ah! Ok, that makes more sense! I've seen a few watermelon tourmalines set similarly before. Very cool! Thanks for the links!

 

[katharath]

Sure, no problem! Sorry for any confusion .

I enjoy that type of setting bc I love the clean lines and simplicity. My opals are more freeform shapes than many of the usual gems I see set this way, but I really like this setting for them. Pics coming tomorrow, hopefully!

 

[minousbijoux]

So what is the official name for this type of setting - is it "channel set"? TIA

Oh and looking forward to seeing your teardrop!

 

[chrono]

The official name is collet set, meaning there is a piece of metal or wire covering only the girdle, leaving both the crown and pavilion completely open. Channel set is a completely different method of setting the gem.

 

[katharath]

Chrono, thanks for the info, I didn't know that.

I do have some pics now. The opal turned out just fine, no issues with this one, thank god. The play of color is not quite as good as on this other half, but it's still quite pretty, I think. And I do like that it appears slightly more symmetrical, as well as a bit larger than the other piece. Ok, pics to follow.

 

[katharath]

These first two are from my jeweler, the rest will be mine. The channel wire is 14k rose gold.

 

[katharath]

Pics with both pieces. I had a devil of a time trying to get pics where both were flashing nicely! I did the best I could.

 

[katharath]

I've noticed that my camera won't/can't seem to pick up the purple PoC, there is some beautiful purple that is subtle but definitely there in both pieces. It is also hard to get the green to show well. Sometimes it does, but mostly it doesn't. I can't get really amazing pics of either piece, unfortunately. But, you get the basic idea. Also I'll post a pic of the back in case anyone is interested in seeing how it came out. This pic is from the new piece.

 

[katharath]

Last pic, of something different. I finally got my hands on some welos and am having a welo beaded necklace strung with smooth mahenge beads and silver accents, in a random style. It's completed, and about 34 inches long, it should be here this week. Here's a preliminary pic, I just thought it was fun to see the colorful beads

 

[Rainbird]

I'm so pleased katharath that despite all the hassles, you have a happy ending to this story and have ended up with 2 lovely pendants, instead of one! I actually like them both worn together. Beautiful display of colors in the opals.

Your new welo and Mahenge bead necklace is going to look smashing when it's done. They will be perfect to wear in time for the summer to really show off those opals. Please post pics when it's finished.

 

[chrono]

Urgh....such patience to string those itty bitty beads. It's going to look fabulous when completed. And the opal? Wow, it looks like a perfect fat pear shape.

 

[katharath]

Thank you Rainbird! Yes, it has been worth the hassle. I'm actually wearing them both at the same time now too, but layered onto different chains (one is on a gold chain, and the other is actually on a choker style jade beaded necklace, little small 3 mm jade beads. I think it's a cute look).

Chrono - yes, I don't have the patience for those tiny beads (all are between 2.5-4 mm I think), so I'm glad my jeweler will do it for me . I bought the materials from her, of course. I wanted the very small welos, my strand only came out to about 25 carats for about 14 inches worth. There were of course larger ones available, but these looked so small and sweet (I'm a sucker for tiny beads. Plus I knew we were using these pretty bright mahenge beads with the welos, and they're small too. But then, all of my beaded necklaces are done long style with tiny beads. I tried larger chunky beads once and had to return the necklace, I didn't like it!)

I will post some pics of all my beaded necklaces when I get this new one. I think it will be lovely for summer also. Thank you both for the kind words