Inspiration Needed - Opal Ring

[Punks-Tricks]

I was very lucky to receive a surprise solid black opal for a recent birthday and my husband is paying for it to be set in a ring as the second part of my present. I am in the UK and have now found a jeweller to work with after a longish search and lot's of phone calls. I wondered if I describe how I see the ring, you may have seen something on your travels and advise me where I could look for inspiration.
Here goes, it will be a right hand ring and I understand the fragility of opals. My love for black opals started back in 2012 after I saw the Aurora Borealis for the first time, as the blue and green opals reminded me of the Aurora. I want a simple setting in platinum to show off the colour and was thinking of a scattering of small diamonds to represent stars in the sky. I was thinking of a semi bezel/rub over setting. I want it to look contemporary and eye catching. Only seen a couple of rings for inspiration but not sure they are right and now I'm "ring blind" So here is my surprise Lightening Ridge black opal from Black Opal Direct - it's a roundish 2.15ct. The photo really doesn't do it justice and my hobby is photography but boy did I underestimate how to photograph the stone, even with a macro lens!

I like the clean lines of this, would it look odd if the right hand side of the setting was slightly wider and had scattered melee diamonds?

Would something like this work with a round stone and have the melee on the wider side?

Any advice, photo's welcome and thank you in advance.

 

[bludiva]

I really like that second one. Sholdt makes a semi bezels if you are looking for more inspiration Theres a company called Sirciam that does a lot of the asymmetrical accent stones, their style is more rustic. I love the aurora borealis + stars idea.

 

[Punks-Tricks]

I really like that second one. Sholdt makes a semi bezels if you are looking for more inspiration Theres a company called Sirciam that does a lot of the asymmetrical accent stones, their style is more rustic. I love the aurora borealis + stars idea.

Thank you very much, will take a look at those sites.

 

[strawrose]

Just to get inspiration flowing https://www.instagram.com/raintreevt/p/BivKBezHAA2/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=koryuinivq86

 

[Punks-Tricks]

Now that is a ring and a half! A beautiful centre opal Cabochon.

 

[FlashyFlamingo]

This is a lot more modern than most of the jewelry I typically wear, but I seem to pick it out of my jewelry box regularly. I feel like the opal is very secure in the bezel setting. I’ll have to dig through my inspiration pics on my phone and see if I have any other more modern opal settings.

 

[Hivona]

These are some that I saved on my phone or instagram that are all really pretty in their own way. I really love the wavy opal ring & the David Klass.

 

[Punks-Tricks]

This is a lot more modern than most of the jewelry I typically wear, but I seem to pick it out of my jewelry box regularly. I feel like the opal is very secure in the bezel setting. I’ll have to dig through my inspiration pics on my phone and see if I have any other more modern opal settings.

Thank you, yes this is lovely and very similar to an aquamarine ring I own. I think that issue with the ring images I am liking is that the stones are pear or oval shaped and mine is a round.

 

[Punks-Tricks]

These are some that I saved on my phone or instagram that are all really pretty in their own way. I really love the wavy opal ring & the David Klass.

Thank you for posting and yes the David Klass ring is beautiful. I'm struggling for inspiration as my stone is round, most of the one's I like are pear or oval and I don't think they would work with a round.

 

[Bluegemz]

How fun! Just to keep the pics going, here are some pics of opal rings which I am intrigued by. I think these could work for many shapes, just as general jewelry style ideas.

 

[FlashyFlamingo]

Dover Jewelry just posted this last night. It’s an oval, but a pretty round oval and the setting is fairly modern.

 

[T L]

I would halo or set it with green and orange side stones. I really love opals with side stones that enhance the colors in their color play.

 

[elle_71125]

Gorgeous opal @Punks-Tricks
@samranmal has a gorgeous setting for her purple garnet. The diamonds are scattered and it has an old world celestial vibe. Thought it might be some good inspiration for you.

 

[GliderPoss]

That opal is absolutely lovely! I think a smooth bezel will not only look lovely but protect the stone too.

 

[lovedogs]

How fun! Just to keep the pics going, here are some pics of opal rings which I am intrigued by. I think these could work for many shapes, just as general jewelry style ideas.

Omg that second ring is TDF! I might need to use that style with a larger stone at some point. It's perfect for a halo look without the extra coverage if you can't swing it with the size of center Stone.

 

[Bluegemz]

Omg that second ring is TDF! I might need to use that style with a larger stone at some point. It's perfect for a halo look without the extra coverage if you can't swing it with the size of center Stone.

Yes, and it would be amazing for a pendant with a big, slim opal. I like that it isn’t all about the halo, but frames the stone beautifully. It has an intriguing, lyrical movement combined with a little static architecture in those prongs, which is a combo which I think fits black opals especially. It’s as if the prongs are holding all of that color in.

 

[suzanne2]

I like the flow of this ring. It would be lovely with one side larger and scattered with melee like the purple garnet posted above.

 

[lambskin]

That Wavy setting is really cool!

 

[Punks-Tricks]

So coming back to this! I was fairly despondent as I have struggled with what I really wanted and finding a jeweller that would set it for me! I'm in the UK and jewellers don't like/don't have much experience of setting opal's or they won't set outside stones! However today the stone has left my house and gone to the jeweller that is going to set it for me. Even though the final design hasn't been agreed and we are still modifying, I feel that I'm on an emotional high - I'll tell you why - So back in 1991 I left home from a sleepy village to the bright lights of a big city about an hour and a half away. Since being a small child I have never been able to walk past a jewellery shop without stopping for a look (and I'm still the same now) Anyway I found a shop that had the most amazing hand crafted designs and I used to stare in the windows hoping that one day I would be able to afford something from there. The owner/designer was always in the shop and I would often see him whilst admiring the rings in the window ( I was going through a tough time in my life). I never had the bottle to go in as I didn't have money to spend on jewellery. Over the years I still looked in his window but I now live an hour away after living in various parts of the UK and about five years ago I went shopping there and noticed his shop was gone. So fast forward to March I googled him and found that he had moved to a small town about 15 miles away from his original shop! Anyway I'm waffling so to cut a long story short I contacted his son who is now working alongside him and he is going to set the opal. I went to drop the opal off today and my engagement ring as the diamond is wobbling and I met John (his Dad) and told him the story, he was absolutely lovely and I wish I'd gone in to his shop all those years ago! He gave me a big hug and nearly made me cry. He is now 72 years old and has had been in the business since 1966.

 

[Punks-Tricks]

Still a bit of tweeking but heading in the right direction. Will be platinum and probably a mix of emeralds (my late Mum's birth stone and the small diamonds are from a ring my late great Aunt bought for me) a mix of old and new.

 

[dk168]

I intend to set my oval doublet in this setting:


DK