Any Opal lovers out there? Show and Tell please.

[prs]

Red is generally regarded as the rarest and most valuable color in opals. I like the one on the left of your chosen two, however, to be a PIA, I actually very much prefer the two on the ends in your video of four.

 

[lovedogs]

Red is generally regarded as the rarest and most valuable color in opals. I like the one on the left of your chosen two, however, to be a PIA, I actually very much prefer the two on the ends in your video of four.

Gah, really?? I'm so undecided.

Do these videos make you have a preference for one in particular? It shows a more pink toned one too.

 

[lovedogs]

Shoot, attached the wrong video for the second one. Here's the right one with the pink one on the left

 

[2Neesers]

Shoot, attached the wrong video for the second one. Here's the right one with the pink one on the left

They are all beautiful, but I like the third from the left in this video

 

[lovedogs]

They are all beautiful, but I like the third from the left in this video

This one?

I'm worried that from some angles it's not "on" and will look darker. Ugh this is impossible bc all are so pretty!!!

Also this one is just silly! Too bad red/pink/yellow aren't my favorite and I want a spectrum of colors. But please someone from ps buy this and make a pendant!

 

[2Neesers]

Strongly considering some opal doublets after seeing all of these beauties. They are inexpensive vs solid, and just as gorgeous for the nice ones (imho as a non expert).

What do you think between these 2 (middle two in the video of 4).

Next to a ruler for scale:

Of these two, I like the one on the right side of the ruler. They are both super pretty, but I like the shape of that one and that it has brighter color flashes in the videos. You couldn’t make a wrong choice with any of these options though, they are all so pretty. Do you mind sharing the seller info?

 

[lovedogs]

Of these two, I like the one on the right side of the ruler. They are both super pretty, but I like the shape of that one and that it has brighter color flashes in the videos. You couldn’t make a wrong choice with any of these options though, they are all so pretty. Do you mind sharing the seller info?

Happy to, but I can't vouch for quality yet since I haven't purchased. Not sure if I should wait to receive stuff before sharing info just in case.

 

[2Neesers]

Happy to, but I can't vouch for quality yet since I haven't purchased. Not sure if I should wait to receive stuff before sharing info just in case.

That makes a lot of sense . I'm looking forward to seeing which stone you choose!

 

[Acinom]

They are all beautiful, but I like the third from the left in this video

Third from left. Wow!!!

 

[lovedogs]

Ok, so both @Acinom and @2Neezers prefer third from left. That's this one:

Can I ask why you guys prefer it to the others? I'm such a newbie!!

 

[Acinom]

I love the beautiful colour play and the softer shape.

 

[2Neesers]

I'm an opal newbie too, so there isn't a technical reason why I prefer it. I like that it has a lot of red flash and the color combination seems less common. That being said, both of my black opals have only green and blue flash because those are the colors I am most drawn to wearing. If you're not feeling that one, I would go with the opal with the colors that you like the best .

 

[Acinom]

How do you plan to set your opal @lovedogs ? That might dictate a certain shape. I only have one black opal with blues and greens. Like @2Neezers I am most drawn to these colours

 

[prs]

This one?

I'm worried that from some angles it's not "on" and will look darker. Ugh this is impossible bc all are so pretty!!!

They are all really beautiful, so it's a tough call, but I think I prefer this one. In the video it seems to have great color play from all angles, and it pretty much has all the colors, red, yellow, blue and green, and that's not usual.

In your first post of the Opals 2 video of four stones I thought the two more rectangular stones on the ends had great color play, and their shapes would make them easier to set. I think this one (Video 4) is the stone on the right end? The stone on the left end was bigger, so it might be worthwhile getting a video of that one too.

 

[lovedogs]

After going back and forth a million times I ended up buying the one that @Acinom and @2Neezers liked. I agree with you, @prs that it has all the colors, which I really wanted.

I also got 2 much smaller stones that will be rings at some points (arrows below). All will likely be in simple halo styles. Excited to see them IRL!



These are from Australia, and all doublets, meaning I am getting all 3 for around $550 USD (waiting on the final invoice). I couldn't find any solid opals I liked that weren't tiny for that price, so pretty happy overall

In case anyone is interested , here's what he sent me at first when I described what I like in opals (lots of color, bright, dark).

 

[2Neesers]

How exciting to have three opals coming your way @lovedogs . The opals you selected are gorgeous and I can’t wait to see your pictures once you receive them!

 

[Acinom]

Great choice @lovedogs ! Looking forward to see your pics

 

[lovedogs]

Turns out I am horrible at both math and currency conversion. I only had to pay $460ish USD. Hoping that I'm as thrilled IRL as I am with the pics!

 

[Acinom]

Turns out I am horrible at both math and currency conversion. I only had to pay $460ish USD. Hoping that I'm as thrilled IRL as I am with the pics!

The Aussie dollar to American dollar conversion has been quite favourable for a while. Not sure about the current situation. I could be worth it to look at the non doublet opals as well.
So thrilled for you!

 

[Bron357]

Beautiful choices. All so different, all with big personalities.
Btw a doublet isn’t “bad’ it often that the opal piece is too thin for a solid stone and thankfully the “beauty” can be saved and used with a bit of backing!
However, everyone’s tastes is different (a good thing) I would have picked the 9th (from left) in both the top row and bottom row!

 

[lovedogs]

Beautiful choices. All so different, all with big personalities.
Btw a doublet isn’t “bad’ it often that the opal piece is too thin for a solid stone and thankfully the “beauty” can be saved and used with a bit of backing!
However, everyone’s tastes is different (a good thing) I would have picked the 9th (from left) in both the top row and bottom row!

Agreed, I'm officially in love with doublets! Love hearing your preferences!

The one you mentioned liking from the top row is the one on the left in this video:

It looks darker in the video bc after he showed me all the choices, I said that I felt like there was almost a grey "sheen" on it when it moved (in video). He said he tried to get it out (I assume polishing and/or some other cutting technique), and ended up making it darker than he meant to. I find the entire thing fascinating!

 

[prs]

Forgot to post DW's opal pendant, set by David Klass. The stone is a 19ct boulder opal from Winton, Queensland, Australia. This one gets worn a lot.



Sorry for the huge photos. Anybody know how to make them smaller?

 

[missy]

Forgot to post DW's opal pendant, set by David Klass. The stone is a 19ct boulder opal from Winton, Queensland, Australia. This one gets worn a lot.



Sorry for the huge photos. Anybody know how to make them smaller?

Love this. So pretty. Like looking into the cool deep ocean. Love the necklace design too and looks great on her.

 

[fiona00004]

So hard to photograph!

 

[Catmom]

Love this. So pretty. Like looking into the cool deep ocean. Love the necklace design too and looks great on her.

It's beautiful!

 

[prs]

It's beautiful!

@Catmom I have a photo of your fantabulous blue and green opal ring in my PS Hall of Fame album. When we first saw this stone I was reminded of yours, and thought we had discovered its poor cousin from the wrong side of the tracks. It was trying so hard to be gorgeous, we decided to take it home and introduce it to the rest of the family!

I understand boulder opals are found in very thin seams, and it requires a high degree of skill from the miner to split the seam down the middle and produce two identical opals on each side. As a result, boulder opals have a flat face as compared to the domed face of most other opals. Our opal came out of a brown ironstone matrix, and you can still see some of this matrix remaining on the sides of the stone in the original vendor photo. We bezel set the stone to help cover up that little bit of ironstone.

 

[Catmom]

@Catmom I have a photo of your fantabulous blue and green opal ring in my PS Hall of Fame album. When we first saw this stone I was reminded of yours, and thought we had discovered its poor cousin from the wrong side of the tracks. It was trying so hard to be gorgeous, we decided to take it home and introduce it to the rest of the family!

I understand boulder opals are found in very thin seams, and it requires a high degree of skill from the miner to split the seam down the middle and produce two identical opals on each side. As a result, boulder opals have a flat face as compared to the domed face of most other opals. Our opal came out of a brown ironstone matrix, and you can still see some of this matrix remaining on the sides of the stone in the original vendor photo. We bezel set the stone to help cover up that little bit of ironstone.

Aww, I'm so honored! When I saw it I was thinking, gosh that looks just like my ring stone.

 

[lambskin]

Love the opal and the setting!!!!!

 

[mrs-b]

Love this opal. Love this setting. Absolutely crazy about this ring. This photo does NOT do this stunning opal justice; it didn't pick up any of the orange or red, which are the primary colors in it. It also has some bright violet. Anyway, the video is a fair reflection, and my photo is mainly to show the setting.



Here's the video, which gives a VERY accurate image of how it looks. My photo was taken indoors in a dim room, but the colors in this video are far more accurate.

Below that is its original listing on Black Opal Direct.

http://blackopaldirect.com/product/crystal-opal/2-63-gem-crystal-opal-collectors-piece-10-5x8x5mm/

 

[pwsg07]

Love this opal. Love this setting. Absolutely crazy about this ring. This photo does NOT do this stunning opal justice; it didn't pick up any of the orange or red, which are the primary colors in it. It also has some bright violet. Anyway, the video is a fair reflection, and my photo is mainly to show the setting.



Here's the video, which gives a VERY accurate image of how it looks. My photo was taken indoors in a dim room, but the colors in this video are far more accurate.

Below that is its original listing on Black Opal Direct.

http://blackopaldirect.com/product/crystal-opal/2-63-gem-crystal-opal-collectors-piece-10-5x8x5mm/

So beautiful. We need more photos