A few opals (for TL)

[LD]

TL - here's a few of my opals - I've tried to include different types:-

1. This video is of my Andamooka Semi Black opal but what makes this interesting is the rolling flash that can be seen from 2 o'clock to 5 o'clock. In real life, it looks like a lightning bolt travelling down (or up) the stone and can be yellow, green, blue or red! This opal is particularly nice because it has colourplay in all lighting conditions - and of course is better than the video suggests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtUr91dqU1U

2. The two rings on one hand are Mintabie Jelly Opals. These are particularly nice because they have tons of colourplay. They're not particularly expensive but they are nice.

3. The purple one is actually a black opal. I like it because it looks like it has a purple palm tree! Also seeing purple is a good thing in opals!

4. The next two photos are of Mexican Jelly Opals. One has a translucent body and the other is more a sort of amber colour.

 

[LD]

The next lot of photos are all either Koroit, Bolder Opals or Opals in matrix. I love these!

Somewhere I have photos of a cherry opal bracelet and a chocolate opal but I can't find them at the mo so will have to take new pictures of them!

 

[LD]

Just taken a quick photo of my Mexican Cherry Fire Opal bracelet. This looks like small pieces of warm lava!

The montage is of a Welo Opal stone. This is fascinating because it reacts with water!

 

[T L]

Thanks LD,
Your opals are awesome. I just love them. I have a couple of fire opals, as this one below, which is bright neon orange, but has no colorplay. I also have a white opal with colorplay, but I haven't set it because it's a white opal and I never appreciated it that much. I also have an Ethiopian orange opal with magnificent color play, but you can only see it in certain lighting.

This is my neon Mexican fire opal, with some demantoids, in a box. I really want to set this, despite the fact it has no colorplay. My dream is to get one this color, but with lots of colorplay. I love the color of your Mexican fire opal in the matrix. That is gorgeous.

 

[LD]

Getting a Mexican Fire Opal with tons of colourplay is a challenge but spectacular when you get one! I love the matrix ones as well as they look like dinosaur eggs! Have you seen the video of the rolling flash I linked to? I love that one because it always amazes me that nature can create such stunning things!

 

[T L]

Getting a Mexican Fire Opal with tons of colourplay is a challenge but spectacular when you get one! I love the matrix ones as well as they look like dinosaur eggs! Have you seen the video of the rolling flash I linked to? I love that one because it always amazes me that nature can create such stunning things!

Yes, I did see the video. You have an amazing opal collection. I love the rolling flash in your black opal. I wish I had a black opal.

I should take some pics of my white opal, it has green and orange in it, so maybe I should appreciate it more. I bought it over ten years ago, and is't a 12x10 cab (around that size).

 

[minousbijoux]

Love your black opal LD, but aren't you terrified every time you wear it? Its so big and gorgeous.

 

[Marlow]

Love your black opal LD, but aren't you terrified every time you wear it? Its so big and gorgeous.

This opal is fantastic!!! But - minousbijoux - they are only for TL !!!!!

 

[T L]

Love your black opal LD, but aren't you terrified every time you wear it? Its so big and gorgeous.

This opal is fantastic!!! But - minousbijoux - they are only for TL !!!!!

All for me, none for any of you

 

[chrono]

LD,
You have a fantastic opal collection; varied and large. My favourite is the dark matrix. Thanks for sharing.

 

[T L]

Here's my 12x10 cabochon white opal. It's hard to photograph. Not sure if it's a good one, but it has a pleasant colorplay with patches of purple, green, orange, etc. . .

 

[LD]

Love your black opal LD, but aren't you terrified every time you wear it? Its so big and gorgeous.

This opal is fantastic!!! But - minousbijoux - they are only for TL !!!!!

That came out wrong didn't it!???? I only tagged TL because she had asked to see them!

 

[LD]

Here's my 12x10 cabochon white opal. It's hard to photograph. Not sure if it's a good one, but it has a pleasant colorplay with patches of purple, green, orange, etc. . .

TL it's a pretty stone but has areas that don't have colourplay. Having said that, I like the positioning of the colour. It would look lovely in a ring or pendant.

 

[T L]

Here's my 12x10 cabochon white opal. It's hard to photograph. Not sure if it's a good one, but it has a pleasant colorplay with patches of purple, green, orange, etc. . .

TL it's a pretty stone but has areas that don't have colourplay. Having said that, I like the positioning of the colour. It would look lovely in a ring or pendant.

Thanks LD. I really want to set my welo opal or the fire opal above, first. My welo is in the bank, so I should get it out and take pics. I have some pics of it on PS, but I can't find them. It was the most orange and had the most colorplay out of a lot of welo opals on display at a gem show. Unfortunately, you don't always see the colorplay in some lighting, but when you do, it's magical.

As for the 12x10 white opal, all the areas have colorplay, but not at the same time. You have to turn it to see all the colorplay. I like ones where you see colorplay all over the opal, all at the same time.

 

[Marlow]

I have a 4,96 ct Welo opal with a honeycomb pattern - each cell has a color play with a complete spectrum if you move it - sometimes you see greenyelloworange at the same time.

I tried a picture but it is impossible to capture....I was on Ulis homepage for a while.

Welos are great but sometimes tricky - Uli cut a "Siebenstern" ( same as TLs fireopal) Welo with strong colorplay - the stone was outstanding but lost the colorplay a few weeks later and turned into a milky nothing - some of the rough is not stable ( I bought it on a show!)

 

[JewelFreak]

Your opals are beautiful, LD. I love the black one, of course, and the Mexican Fire Opals in the bracelet -- what a great idea! The fire opal in matrix looks to me like a window on the Inferno, just what Dante had in mind. Gorgeous! Your last pic, with the jelly opal -- the setting looks vintage; is it? Nice!

--- Laurie

 

[Marlow]

Your opals are beautiful, LD. I love the black one, of course, and the Mexican Fire Opals in the bracelet -- what a great idea! The fire opal in matrix looks to me like a window on the Inferno, just what Dante had in mind. Gorgeous! Your last pic, with the jelly opal -- the setting looks vintage; is it? Nice!

--- Laurie

Or easter eggs - some will hide it in the garden and you have to find it....

 

[T L]

I have a 4,96 ct Welo opal with a honeycomb pattern - each cell has a color play with a complete spectrum if you move it - sometimes you see greenyelloworange at the same time.

I tried a picture but it is impossible to capture....I was on Ulis homepage for a while.

Welos are great but sometimes tricky - Uli cut a "Siebenstern" ( same as TLs fireopal) Welo with strong colorplay - the stone was outstanding but lost the colorplay a few weeks later and turned into a milky nothing - some of the rough is not stable ( I bought it on a show!)

Yes, that Mexican fire opal was cut by Uli, so glad you noticed. Since it's seven sided, I'll probably have to do something custom, as it might look strange in a regular round setting. I had some funky ideas of setting it in a formation with the demantoids, but not sure if I can do this idea.

I heard if you put the welo back in water for a while, it returns back to its same beauty, but I guess that's not too feasible if worn in a piece of jewelry.

I love those honeycomb patterns in welos, so if you get a chance to get some decent photos, please post them.

 

[Starzin]

LD - lovely colour in the video! I also really like the jelly flower rings. How fortunate to find a palm tree in your black opal believe me it's the only palm tree that will ever be seen where these things are mined

I'm with Chrono in that I actually think good pieces of boulder opal are quite stunning and I particularly like your trilliant ones.

TL - your white opal is lovely and colourful with what looks to be good flashes of colour. Please appreciate it and give it some love and above all, set it. I've always preferred the mid to lighter toned opals in any case

If I can scout up a couple of photos, I'll tell you all a sad, sad tale.

ETA: Almost forgot... this is a pretty good video on opal body tone and brightness scale. And no, we don't all talk like that!

 

[Starzin]

So... this is the story of a large crystal opal from Lightning Ridge. Which has been ruined.

It belonged to my grandmother and she must have loved it because she wore it frequently. She died when I was 15 and I inherited a few pieces of her jewellery. This opal was full of colour, predominantly green and blue but with flashes of orange/red which you can no longer see because of what the jeweller did to it.

Step 1 in the sad saga
The catch on the opal was broken and it languished unworn for about 3 years before I had the bright idea of resetting it because it was so large it always fell forward on the bar.

I saw the perfect setting for it but was given short shrift by the SA when I went to enquire about the cost and I subsequently took it to a jeweller a work colleague had used and recommended. I thought I would set it so that it looked as though it was still in a rock.


Step 2 in the sad saga
The jeweller didn't have a clue!!! They set it on a solid gold back, put a piece of black carbon paper behind the opal and GLUED it in. Alarm bells should have gone off when they told me that but they didn't and it was about 18 months later that I was looking at it and discovered the CRACK.


Step 3 - the icing on the cake
I clearly remember sitting with my grandmother (wearing the opal) at her kitchen table and because she was sitting opposite a window, the opal colours were dancing. I don't remember what I said to elicit the next bit of information, but she told me that she originally had an entire set-
earrings
necklace
brooch
bracelet
ring
but the other pieces were sold shortly after the war...
.
.
.
.
.
.
...to re-duco the car!!!!!

 

[T L]

Starzin,
I'm so sorry about your grandmother's opal.

Do you think recutting it to eliminate the crack might be an option, to two opals? One for a ring, and a pendant/brooch?

At least the crack won't grow more if you do that. Perhaps a lapidary can chime in. Much of the opal is still very clean and intact.

 

[Starzin]

Thank you TL.

Honestly? I don't know if it can be removed from the setting without damaging it further - they probably used Araldite or something to glue it in.

As an indication, a gem dealer valued it at around AU $3,000 in the mid 1980s - it's worth half, if that, in it's current form. Of course after I discovered the crack, the reason for the glue became evident - to hold it together in place, but the horse had bolted as it were and there was nothing to do.

 

[T L]

Thank you TL.

Honestly? I don't know if it can be removed from the setting without damaging it further - they probably used Araldite or something to glue it in.

As an indication, a gem dealer valued it at around AU $3,000 in the mid 1980s - it's worth half, if that, in it's current form. Of course after I discovered the crack, the reason for the glue became evident - to hold it together in place, but the horse had bolted as it were and there was nothing to do.

Hmmmm, is there an expert jeweler that you can show it to for opinions? The glue might be easily removed some how.

 

[Starzin]

I guess I really should get another opinion now. I can always hope that the glue might have degraded in the meantime

 

[T L]

I guess I really should get another opinion now. I can always hope that the glue might have degraded in the meantime

Maybe post this is a section of PS where more jewelers are present, and they can give you ideas???

 

[Starzin]

Ummm... where is that please? Can't imagine they'd be too happy to see me over in RT.

 

[T L]

Ummm... where is that please? Can't imagine they'd be too happy to see me over in RT.

I don't know, as I spend 99.99% of my time in CS, but maybe in the jewelry thread, or RT, yes. ??????

 

[Starzin]

I'll have a look in the jewellery forum and perhaps give it a day or two here to see if any jewellers or lapidaries pop in.

Me too! I hardly ever remember there ARE other forums on PS

 

[ilovegemstones]

Sorry Starzin! I loved your idea though!

Gorgeous opals! My favourite is the black one.

 

[chrono]

Oh Starzin, it breaks my heart to see such a lovely large opal treated as such. I'm so sorry. Unfortunately, the other sections of PS (including the jewellery section) can be very slow, with only 1 post per day at best and I've never seen any Trade person post in the Jewellery sub-forum.