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- Dec 26, 2017
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You could look at a hundred black opals and not find one better than this. It has all the colours and then some!!
You could look at a hundred black opals and not find one better than this. It has all the colours and then some!!
It’s very nice, but it’s so hard to judge opal without several pics or a video.
I love that one too! where are you finding these lovely opals?
Thanks for the kind words on my new opal ring. I love wearing it with my Paraiba, as they both have that turquoise glow. Here’s a pic of it with my orange opal, which is sitting in an empty mount. I need to get a new setting for it, but I love orange and turquoise together. There’s a little greenish opal in a an empty mount in mounting wax on my middle finger. I wish the camera did them justice. The blue in the bottom opal floats above an orange base when you look at it from the side. The cameras really washed out the color. I think the best way to describe it is a puddle of spilled iridescent nail polish. I included one of my all time favorite opal rings in this thread as inspiration for my dream opal design and gem, by Cartier.
Fossilized opals are rare and unique. They usually attract a huge premium over ordinary opals because they appeal to both fossil collectors and gemstone lovers.@Bron357 and other opal experts!I went down a rabbit hole last night and discovered belemnite opal, which is (apparently) ancient squid tenticles (or parts of them), that fossilsed into opals. I am obsessed, since octopuses are one of my favorite animals and opals are a newfound love of mine.
Do you think they are worth the increased cost (compared to other opals of similar color) because of the rarity/coolness, or do yoi think it's just silly?
The opal has lots of lovely colours but it has a fair degree of “haze” over / through it, this is colourless potch material. A cutter has to get rid of as much of this potch material as possible to reveal the colourful opal. Sometimes the colourful opal vein is very thin. I think this opal is quite patchy and thin regarding opal content. If the price is cheap, that’s ok but it’s not a “premium” quality opal. It would also be best if the vendor has a return policy. You mightn’t like how it looks in ordinary lighting conditions.
I’m biased, I’d pick opal, especially a fossil piece over a “dime a dozen” champagne diamonds or zircon any day.ok @Bron357 , I need your wisdom again!
I've been considering buying a brown/champagne zircon (or diamond), but now this opal idea is pretty freaking tempting. I can buy this piece (actually 2 pieces) for around $1400 USD. From my intensive searching over the last day, this seems like a very fair price given the color. The store made a video and is holding it for me while I consider. It's 2 pieces of belemnite (broken where there's sand). I'd likely use it for 2 different pieces.
Video:
Pics:
Other options:
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/65-ct-belemnite-massive-fire-682062
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/415-ct-greens-belemnite-coober-pedy-712648
Thoughts? Or should I stick with my other champagne stone plan and stop obsessing over awesome ancient squid opals?
haha I have no idea how to picture what you said, but it sounds SO PRETTY!I’m biased, I’d pick opal, especially a fossil piece over a “dime a dozen” champagne diamonds or zircon any day.
Though I would only set that piece as a pendant. I would rim set it together onto a gold backing (best side up) with a band of gold to conceal the join which I would set then set coloured gemstones into. Depending on how much $$$ you want to spend I’d then set it onto a gold chain with small bezel set coloured gems to match those in the pendant, like a DBTY necklace. Then you have a statement necklace a really special and unique piece.
Sorry I’ve just spent a few grand for you but WOW.
These opals are so cool! I’ve seen one at Rock & Mineral shows still embedded in rock like thisok @Bron357 , I need your wisdom again!
I've been considering buying a brown/champagne zircon (or diamond), but now this opal idea is pretty freaking tempting. I can buy this piece (actually 2 pieces) for around $1400 USD. From my intensive searching over the last day, this seems like a very fair price given the color. The store made a video and is holding it for me while I consider. It's 2 pieces of belemnite (broken where there's sand). I'd likely use it for 2 different pieces.
Video:
Pics:
Other options:
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/65-ct-belemnite-massive-fire-682062
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/415-ct-greens-belemnite-coober-pedy-712648
Thoughts? Or should I stick with my other champagne stone plan and stop obsessing over awesome ancient squid opals?
There’s not much colorpllay in that one. Where are the reds, oranges, violets?
ok @Bron357 , I need your wisdom again!
I've been considering buying a brown/champagne zircon (or diamond), but now this opal idea is pretty freaking tempting. I can buy this piece (actually 2 pieces) for around $1400 USD. From my intensive searching over the last day, this seems like a very fair price given the color. The store made a video and is holding it for me while I consider. It's 2 pieces of belemnite (broken where there's sand). I'd likely use it for 2 different pieces.
Video:
Pics:
Other options:
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/65-ct-belemnite-massive-fire-682062
https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/415-ct-greens-belemnite-coober-pedy-712648
Thoughts? Or should I stick with my other champagne stone plan and stop obsessing over awesome ancient squid opals?
Do you know what your ideal color opal would have cost?
I have been long contemplating a deep, dark black opal with only blue color play in it for a while. I found this one on Etsy, which wasn’t too expensive, just to see how I like this variety in life, and to see if I’d want to spend more on one someday. It’s a solid, 22 carat black crystal opal, with blues that are quite mysterious and pop out in the right lighting. It has even distribution of blue parts, but they don’t show up at the same time. It’s set in silver.
So far I love it because of its enthralling mystery and vastness, and it’s size. I truly lose myself staring into it because it has a dark translucent glow. If I eventually get another, I’d like the blues to be a bit brighter, and the black blacker, but this has scratched the itch for now. Forgive the poor evening picture. The second one is a vendor picture.
Thank you! You have described it so well! That is exactly why I am so enchanted with these black and blue opals. This one really has the size to support getting enveloped into it. I find myself staring and getting drawn in a lot more than I do with other rings which I wear. Interestingly, as often as I peer into the stone, I never feel that I know it. What lies in the darkness only is partially revealed. It truly hides its mystery in that way.So wow. That is one stone I would fall into...it is like a different world! I would stare down into its depths and become so absorbed that I would forget about what I was doing...an enveloping, powerful, meditative kind of stone.