Newly Opaled

[caolsen]

I consider myself a hard stone, with the occasional dip into the Mohr 7 pool, person. But I’ve been hankering on an opal for a while.

Could not shake the feeling that I wanted a nice, sizeable opal ring to wear flush with my wedding band.

I worked with my local high end jeweler who I trust deeply and bought this from their in stock inventory.

 

[missy]

Glowlicious Beautiful ring.

 

[CravingDiamonds]

I consider myself a hard stone, with the occasional dip into the Mohr 7 pool, person. But I’ve been hankering on an opal for a while.

Could not shake the feeling that I wanted a nice, sizeable opal ring to wear flush with my wedding band.

I worked with my local high end jeweler who I trust deeply and bought this from their in stock inventory.

I love this.

 

[Ally T]

This glows almost like a moonstone! I could just jump right into this - it’s beautiful!

 

[princessandthepear]

What a lovely cyan stone and the detail in the gallery is exquisite.

 

[GliderPoss]

Lovely! What kind of opal is it - Ethiopian? Crystal opal?

 

[Lykame]

Oooh wow. Well don't kill me but I can't say I'm usually the hugest fan of opals nor ovals but that is just opalicious! (Feel like I'm channelling @missy saying that!) The colour patterning looks mesmerising. It's so shiny and glossy looking! How many opals did you see before finding that one?

Was the setting stock too? That undergallery is very pretty!

I presume opals can't go in an ultrasonic - I'm a bit obsessed with cleaning rings (shame I don't have the same passion for tidying my house) so how do you clean such a beautiful intricate ring?

I hope your hunkering for an opal has been satisfied.

 

[arkieb1]

Beautiful, congrats!!!

 

[missy]

I presume opals can't go in an ultrasonic - I'm a bit obsessed with cleaning rings (shame I don't have the same passion for tidying my house) so how do you clean such a beautiful intricate ring?

@Lykame hope it's OK to chime in here...you're right in that you should never put your opal in an ultrasonic cleaner. You can gently clean your opal with water and a soft cloth or very soft brush. Opals are also extremely sensitive to sudden changes in temperature so be careful about that. I keep my opal in a soft padded bag with a moist cotton round (so the humidity isn't too low since opals can craze/crack) in my safe. I have occasionally soaked her for short periods of time in distilled water because my dad told me to do that when my parents first gave her to me but I have not done that for a few years now.

@caolsen please post more photos of your opalicious new beauty.

 

[caolsen]

Oooh wow. Well don't kill me but I can't say I'm usually the hugest fan of opals nor ovals but that is just opalicious! (Feel like I'm channelling @missy saying that!) The colour patterning looks mesmerising. It's so shiny and glossy looking! How many opals did you see before finding that one?

Was the setting stock too? That undergallery is very pretty!

I presume opals can't go in an ultrasonic - I'm a bit obsessed with cleaning rings (shame I don't have the same passion for tidying my house) so how do you clean such a beautiful intricate ring?

I hope your hunkering for an opal has been satisfied.

The ring was already put together, the store bought it in that way. I looked at 4 assembled rings and landed on this one. Two had nicer (more fire play) and larger opals but were bigger than I thought looked reasonable at work - think cocktail rings, long and high. The other was similar to this but the diamonds were bigger and a bigger price tag along with them. So this was in the sweet spot of nice, affordable and wearable.

I wanted a white opal, I looked at a jelly and it fell into my mutual head space place of ‘I am not an opal person’ instantly.

Black opals are amazing and I love their freakiness, I have a boulder one as a paper weight at work, with a huge crack in it so can’t be polished into a gem, but awesome paper weight. I am a little OCDC about things being symmetrical and that is not going to happen in a black’s pattern - as odd as that sounds, that’s a deal breaker for me. A fire filled black would be an opal that was amazing and annoying.

So, in the end I settled on a white opal with moderate play to put the price where I wanted it. The blingy gallery was an added bonus. This ring was the only one of the four that had that.

As I did not buy-source the stone lose, providence is harder. The gemologist at the jewelry store recalled being told it was Australian when he bought it, but they can’t be 110% sure as they had it in stock for some time.

 

[caolsen]

Lovely! What kind of opal is it - Ethiopian? Crystal opal?

The gemologist at the store recalled it being an Australian, but to be fair, he’d bought the assembled ring some time ago and couldn’t be certain. But they are a 125+ year old brick and mortar in Cincinnati, super reputation and I’ve bought from them for a decade. Lots of trust even without a paper trail that I got a nice enough for the price stone.

 

[yennyfire]

It is gorgeous! It almost glows if that makes sense? And the gallery is stunning!! Well done!

 

[tyty333]

Beautiful color! Love that you put it in yellow gold!

 

[caolsen]

Oooh wow. Well don't kill me but I can't say I'm usually the hugest fan of opals nor ovals but that is just opalicious! (Feel like I'm channelling @missy saying that!) The colour patterning looks mesmerising. It's so shiny and glossy looking! How many opals did you see before finding that one?

Was the setting stock too? That undergallery is very pretty!

I presume opals can't go in an ultrasonic - I'm a bit obsessed with cleaning rings (shame I don't have the same passion for tidying my house) so how do you clean such a beautiful intricate ring?

I hope your hunkering for an opal has been satisfied.

Won’t kill you, even in the slightest as I am typically not an ‘opal’ person either. I think this acquisition is a sign I am getting old

 

[caolsen]

I love this.

Thank you

 

[caolsen]

Beautiful color! Love that you put it in yellow gold!

The YH goes make it pop a bit more than WG would have. Thank you!

 

[caolsen]

It is gorgeous! It almost glows if that makes sense? And the gallery is stunning!! Well done!

Thank you, the sweet gallery was such a nice bonus.

 

[caolsen]

@Lykame hope it's OK to chime in here...you're right in that you should never put your opal in an ultrasonic cleaner. You can gently clean your opal with water and a soft cloth or very soft brush. Opals are also extremely sensitive to sudden changes in temperature so be careful about that. I keep my opal in a soft padded bag with a moist cotton round (so the humidity isn't too low since opals can craze/crack) in my safe. I have occasionally soaked her for short periods of time in distilled water because my dad told me to do that when my parents first gave her to me but I have not done that for a few years now.

@caolsen please post more photos of your opalicious new beauty.

Here are a few more from today.

 

[caolsen]

It is gorgeous! It almost glows if that makes sense? And the gallery is stunning!! Well done!

Thank you - yes, the glow worm nightlife vibe it has going on is what grabbed me.

 

[mrs-b]

Lovely size - and a gorgeous ring from every perspective!

 

[Lykame]

Thanks @missy and @caolsen for your detailed answers, lovely to read!

@missy, I am not in ownership of an opal but that's really useful information hopefully for @caolsen too! I know enough to be exceptionally nervous of cleaning any of these softer stones. I have seen some really sad cases of crazing in the coloured stone forum. How's your mum's opal holding up? Doesn't the cotton bud just dry out quite rapidly?

I've seen the occasional opal that I do like... black opals seem amazing but @caolsen I'm certainly like you in that regard, I like things to be symmetrical. It sounds like you managed to get the balance really nicely correct, with a shop you can trust, a stone that's beautiful but also good value for money. Lovely! Thank you for sharing more pictures, I especially liked the third picture on the 18th post on this thread!

 

[Dancing Fire]

That is a beautiful opal...

 

[Catmom]

It's beautiful! Love the under gallery!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I LOVE your opal and its setting. I think it is pretty perfect! I am an opal girl. I would love to own an opal ring but have yet to find one that speaks to me that was within a budget I wanted to spend. I also love your two rings together~they look like they were made for one another! What a great find!

 

[Hounddog]

She’s really beautiful and looks lovely on your hand.
I’m not mega into Opals either, but there are a few I really like.

Enjoy yours, she’s beautiful.

 

[goldenfire]

This is gorgeous!!!! WOW! I adore opals. I would love to do a ring like this some day!

 

[apacherose]

Wow, this is beautiful.
The opal is fantastic and the ring is gorgeous- love the back/filigree- it looks great with your band. You have a good jeweler!!! If you are in the dc/nova area, please share who they are!

 

[caolsen]

Wow, this is beautiful.
The opal is fantastic and the ring is gorgeous- love the back/filigree- it looks great with your band. You have a good jeweler!!! If you are in the dc/nova area, please share who they are!

I am in the greater Cincinnati area, sorry that I can’t help you out on a DC area place.