Do Wello opals improve when set?

[beaujolais]

Do Wello opals usually improve when set? Meaning have more color play?

I have a faceted Wello (loose right now) that sometimes has good color play & sometimes doesn't. The base color of it is a pale, pale beige-orange.

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Life has gotten crazy busy so I haven't been around here much. Hope all is well with all.

Thanks so much,
Sonoma

 

[smitcompton]

Hi

I found when some opals are placed on a black background the color play is
beautiful I complained about the same thing as you and it was suggested to me to mix black in the gold or silver setting. Barret said he placed orange,yellow brown welo opal on a brown background he got good color play. Experiment with the background color and see what works and then come back here and maybe someone will suggest how to keep that colorplay when set.

I just finished looking at the entries for the AGslS? show in Tucson. Many used opals and they showed lovely color play when set, but I don't know if the ones we have are the cheaper variety. I was disappointed, but will try to mix black in the gold or silver when I set it.
I love mine with the color-play.

Hope it helps a bit.

Annette

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks so much, Annette.

Being that it is faceted, I wanted to put it in a ring. But, I guess a dark background does not go with prongs. I didn't want to get an enclosed bezel ring setting made for it because I don't want to put that much money into a stone that I'm not sure what I think of.

Can you put a faceted Wello in a prong setting, anyway? I'm not sure.

Funny thing this Wello is. Usually I'm thinking it under performs and why did I buy it, but then when you are least expecting it - it does some cool things. I guess they are covert type stones. Mine is a mid-range stone.

I had tried out a "better" Wello but returned it as the base was too orange for me. It did perform better than this one but not that substantially.

Any other Wello owners out there?

 

[jstarfireb]

I have two round faceted Wello/Wollo opals, and both are slightly orangish in body color (one more than the other). I actually prefer the more orange one. They both perform vastly differently in different lighting conditions, and both are prong-set in pendants. Hope that helps!

 

[gsellis]

Welo does whatever it wants. When mounted, I have not noticed any changes on the faceted pieces. Change from the hydrophane properties for most of these opals tend to over shadow anything else.

edit - I am not correcting your spelling... it is spelled so many ways. I have Welo as my favorite, but it may not be right.

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks George !

You're right. it does seem he right spelling is Welo. You can correct, as I'm always up for being informed. I appreciate it.

Welo's are interesting characters. I've still got it sitting on the counter in a gem box, look at it daily and keep changing my mind all the time if I like it or don't & if I'm setting it or not.