shape
carat
color
clarity

Opal pendant project w/DK

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
David is working on a pendant for my opal. I've told the story eleventy twelve times but I like the story so I'll tell it eleventy thirteen times.

When my mom was pregnant w/me, her step dad, that everyone called Doc, told her she was going to have a girl, she would be born on his birthday (10-29) and mom was to name her Hazel Dell. (??!!) Mom said um...yeah ok. So, she had me, on Grampa's birthday and totally did not name me Hazel Dell. She called grampa from the hospital and said Well Doc, two out of three isn't bad. And grampa said "What's wrong w/naming her Hazel Dell?" haha he knew. So that was always our thing, mine and grampa's. We didn't celebrate birthdays, but we acknowledged them. Every year on our birthday, I'd run into the house and he'd be sitting on the davenport (not a couch make no mistake) and he'd open his arms up wide and I'd launch myself at him and he'd say "Well how old are we today, Love?" Gramma and I were the only ones he called Love. Grampa died when I was 13, about a month before our birthday that year. Grampa and Gramma were huge lovers of gemstones, and grampa used to cut stones. I have a fire opal that grampa cut and set for gramma, that gramma gave me on my wedding day and I wore it down the aisle so grampa could be with me. Several years ago I was up visiting gramma (she lives right around the corner) and we were talking about gems. She got out the gem box and we played w/the stones she had left. There was an opal that I mentioned was pretty, pale lavender. It turned out to be one of the last stones grampa cut. They used to spend winters in Australia, and had made a friend who had an opal mine. This stone grampa mined and then cut himself, and Gramma gave it to me.

I've been fussing about for a long time trying to figure out what to do w/it. A PSer friend was kind enough to set it in a pendant for me that I loved...but it was just too big for me. DK has it currently and these are the pictures of where we are right now. He went ahead and made a wax for me to look at. He will do engraving around it, and then engrave something on the back about grampa...which I am at a loss for right now so I'll have to so some heart searching. Metal color tho...does anyone have any thoughts on this? David suggested either white or rose, and said yellow would work too...Its main body color is lavender, which makes me lean toward rose, but I wanted to get some thoughts from others as well so I can feel out all the options.

unnamed__27_.jpg

unnamed__26_.jpg

unnamed__25_.jpg
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
more pics of the opal

untitled__9_0.png

untitled__8_.png
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
12,804
Best. Story. Ever. Please keep on telling it! My first thought was rose gold because I love the color palette of the opal would go well with it. But since its such a subtle lavender base color (beautiful, btw), make sure its not overwhelmed by rose gold.
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
Aw, thanks Minous!

Few more pictures of it when it was in the other pendant. It's really hard to get accurate pictures of. I don't know that I've ever had a stone tho that wasn't, ha!

img_7371.jpg

img_7373.jpg

img_7375.jpg
 

pregcurious

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,724
If you like rose gold on your skin tone, I would do rose gold.
 

GliderPoss

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,936
A beautiful story with a lovely stone to match. :bigsmile: I also inherited some opals from my nanna which I love all the more due to the emotional connection.

As to the pendant - I think definitely yellow or rose gold, maybe with some lavender melee around it too? Add a little extra sparkle and help it not get "lost" in the setting?
 

pregcurious

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,724
I like the opal with the other two stones pictured too.
 

iLander

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
6,731
Oddly, I like white gold against the blue stone. Makes it very contemporary, though.

(packrat, do you know that you're one of the first people with a tattoo I've ever actually gotten to know? You made me not scared of people with tattoos. I'm old, and old school, and tattoos were always a bit sinister to me. Until I got to know you, and you are a regular, nice, person. Go figure! lol :lol: :lol: . I've always wanted to tell you that, so taking the opportunity now. :bigsmile: So, thank you for that. :) )
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
Thanks for the replies everyone! This is along the lines of the engraving that will be on the front.

I've been tossing around the idea of doing brushed metal so that the engraving stands out in comparison. Thoughts? I wish I'd taken pictures of it w/different metal colors but I don't think I did.

I did think about pairing it w/one of my loose stones rather than selling them but I decided against it just to keep the opal the focus.

Aw, iLander, that's so nice to hear! I've had several people be like :-o when they find out I have lots of tattoos, and I like being someone that can help break the stereotype! I got some new work done too a couple weeks ago so I need to update my thread in hang out.

1618338_465902563544340_3335152082164199752_o.jpg
 

pregcurious

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,724
I like the idea of the brushed metal.
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
Thanks for your thoughts, Preg-I like the idea a lot as well. It seems it would put the metal into the background and then hopefully the engraving and the opal would be what your eye is drawn to.
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
I messaged DK to ask about the cost difference between 14k and 18k. I'm thinking about doing 18k unplated wg brushed finish.
 

pregcurious

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
6,724
That make sense. With the engraving, you wouldn't want to replate rhodium repeatedly over the years.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
Brushed metal sounds lovely. Due to the sentimentality of the piece, I have a crazy idea: can the pendant be turned into a locket so you can keep a picture of Grandpa with the opal?
 

partgypsy

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 7, 2004
Messages
6,622
Love the story, it is so sweet. I like the idea of setting in either bezel, or in disk of metal. Because of all the colors I think it could work with white, yellow or rose gold, though I do think that white may highlight the colors the most.

Maybe you and granpas initials, with your birthdates?
 

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,044
Chrono|1426512207|3847970 said:
Brushed metal sounds lovely. Due to the sentimentality of the piece, I have a crazy idea: can the pendant be turned into a locket so you can keep a picture of Grandpa with the opal?

Lovely idea. I think it would look nice with a few mm thick rim of brushed gold around it.
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
12,804
Chrono|1426512207|3847970 said:
Brushed metal sounds lovely. Due to the sentimentality of the piece, I have a crazy idea: can the pendant be turned into a locket so you can keep a picture of Grandpa with the opal?

Here, here! Good idea!
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
Thanks guys! I thought about doing a locket but then I thought to keep the back open so the opal had some air and skin contact. I feel like I'd be more apt to mess w/it if I knew it would open. Yes I am a bit of a fiddler..like a kid...or a monkey. I like the idea of a rim around the opal tho, that could work!

I think I'm going to go w/unplated 18k wg. I love the color of my three stone, and I like that it's kind of a chameleon color in a way-I've had people ask if it's yg or wg.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top