A Small but Mighty Black Opal and Diamond Ring

[prs]

Came across this small, 1.87ct, black opal at an auction just before Christmas. DW has never been a big opal fan, but this one definitely got her attention. It seems to have just about all the colors. and they remain visible even in low light.

At auctions you never know if a piece will attract multiple bidders and go for way higher than estimate, or if no one is really interested and you get it for a great price. The trick is to set your maximum bid before the auction starts and stick to it. DW and I do this together the day before. We determine the all-in highest price at which we would be sorry to lose the item, subtract the % buyers commission, and that becomes our maximum bid. In the case of this opal, I submitted the minimum opening bid...and that was the only bid...yeah!!!

Vendor photo and video

My photos

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Great find! Congratulations.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Wow those colors!!

 

[LilAlex]

At auctions you never know if a piece will attract multiple bidders and go for way higher than estimate, or if no one is really interested and you get it for a great price. The trick is to set your maximum bid before the auction starts and stick to it. DW and I do this together the day before. We determine the all-in highest price at which we would be sorry to lose the item, subtract the % buyers commission, and that becomes our maximum bid

This is a great post and a great idea. I always feel that there is too little information for me to make an informed decision since for colored stones it all comes down to the in-person appearance more than any auction-catalog "specs," even if there is a report.

I am too risk-averse to do this and end up buying from the professional auction-attenders -- for an additional premium, of course.

Do you ever see these in person? Must be great in NYC or a few other locals. Not possible for me.

 

[Starstruck8]

Wow! Look at those colours! That's a great opal. I'm seriously envious.

As an Aussie, I always think the that the best opals end up overseas. At least, I rarely get to see them.

 

[prs]

This is a great post and a great idea. I always feel that there is too little information for me to make an informed decision since for colored stones it all comes down to the in-person appearance more than any auction-catalog "specs," even if there is a report.

I am too risk-averse to do this and end up buying from the professional auction-attenders -- for an additional premium, of course.

Do you ever see these in person? Must be great in NYC or a few other locals. Not possible for me.

We live about a five hour round trip drive from LA, so we can go see pieces in person when the auction house holds a preview in LA. Otherwise, and in particular during the pandemic, we contact the auction house and ask for more photos in regular and lower lighting conditions. The very helpful ladies at the auction houses will sometimes send you a video too. After you've been in contact with a particular auction house a time or two you start to figure out who are the really knowledgeable contacts there, and direct your queries to them.

We don't bother with Sotheby's or Christie's because their auctions are always too high end for us. Most of their pieces are Cartier, Tiffany etc, etc with their huge premiums. We prefer terrific pieces at good prices, and the famous name brands very rarely fall into this category.

 

[prs]

Wow! Look at those colours! That's a great opal. I'm seriously envious.

As an Aussie, I always think the that the best opals end up overseas. At least, I rarely get to see them.

Jason at Black Opal Direct LINK is based in Australia and has a huge selection of opals. His videos are terrific, and he has a huge following. I learned everything I know abouts opals from his videos and, of course, from the opal threads here on PS.

 

[Starstruck8]

Jason at Black Opal Direct LINK is based in Australia and has a huge selection of opals. His videos are terrific, and he has a huge following. I learned everything I know abouts opals from his videos and, of course, from the opal threads here on PS.

Thank you. Yes, I do follow him. For anyone who has not found him yet, his site and videos are highly recommended - both instructive and entertaining.

I guess I have this silly feeling in the back of my mind that because opals are mined here, they ought to be cheaper here. Of course it doesn't work like that, because they are sold world wide. High quality opals are expensive everywhere. But though I know the feeling is silly, I still feel it...

 

[lulu_ma]

Another beauty @prs ! Your wife is one lucky lady!

 

[Ally T]

Those colours are stunning! What a beautiful & characterful opal - great find & lucky Mrs Prs!

 

[stracci2000]

What a beautiful ring!

 

[pokerface]

Beautiful play of color! Do you plan on a reset?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Wow! Look at those colours! That's a great opal. I'm seriously envious.

As an Aussie, I always think the that the best opals end up overseas. At least, I rarely get to see them.

Funny not really funny but we say thay about our fruit and lamb
I live just accross the river from a large kiwifruit orchard
I never see fruit that size for sale in the supermarket
I guess its the same for all exports

 

[prs]

Another beauty @prs ! Your wife is one lucky lady!

My wife was President and CFO of our Company. We had offices next door to each other for twenty years!

She is the oldest of six kids and has been running the show her entire life....nothing has changed. I do agree she was extraordinarily lucky in her choice of husbands!

 

[prs]

Beautiful play of color! Do you plan on a reset?

The opal is actually glued into the setting! However, if we decide to reset, getting rid of the glue should not be a problem. My research indicates that Australian black opal has remarkable chemical resistance. It is impermeable and contains zero moisture. Black opal is essentially pure silica and resistant to acetone, methylated spirits, and even concentrated hydrochloric acid. Here's one of Justin's YouTube videos showing how he tested the chemical resistance of a black opal LINK Note this does not apply to those types of opal that are permeable to moisture.

Getting back to the reset question, it's probably not wise to use the HCl on a gold setting, but it's very likely one of those organic solvents would do the trick. Having said that, the diamonds in the existing setting are very nice indeed, and the setting is growing on DW. I think she has decided to leave it as is.

 

[Catmom]

What an amazingly gorgeous Black Opal!! Great find!

 

[DAF]

It's gorgeous!!!!!!!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Lovely! I really like the colors in it. Enjoy!