Boulder Opal

[athenaworth]

I'm learning about opals today, so of course I had to drag out my itty bitty boulder opal that I bought in Australia in 2001. I was so proud of this. It was my first 18ct gold ring (before this they were all 10). She has some pretty POC and it's incredibly hard to photograph, but it fun (and helps me procrastinate).

 

[Harpertoo]

Wow! I've never seen an opal of that type. So pretty. I love the dark color! Are Boulder opals very rare?

My husband bought an opal for me when he went to Australia - it seems mandatory - but it's of a much more common type. And I had a dispute with the jeweler who set it. The jeweler claimed I would break/ crack the opal immediately in a ring. He also would only set in YG. He refused to use WG. I've been walking on egg shells with the ring ever since.

 

[athenaworth]

Boulder opals are not all that rare. The rare opals are black opals. My silly little pre-PS mind was set on buying a black opal while I was there until I saw the prices! So the boulder opal had to do. I think I hit every shop on the eastern coast of Australia before I bought this one though.

I'd love to see some pictures of yours.

 

[Harpertoo]

Here's an I-phone shot.
The opal seems pretty common, but I actually think the jeweler did a pretty nice job with the bezel.
(Despite having family members in the trade, I had no appreciation for the challenges of working with an opal or bezels generally.)
I'll have to look up some pics of black opals, I really know nothing about the stones aside from their being fragile. I only took this and some earrings out of the safe deposit box because I read something about the humidity requirements on this forum.

 

[athenaworth]

That's pretty! Looks like it has pretty good play of color too.

 

[katharath]

Athena - yes as you said, boulder opals aren't rare, but I really like yours! I see the large ones all the time, but I don't think I've ever seen a boulder opal with that much color play in that smaller size, set like that. It's very unique and I really like it!

I have a pretty black opal channel set in a pendant, and a boulder opal pendant also, maybe I'll post pics later. Oh, and I also have a small ethiopian bezel set in a ring also.

 

[katharath]

Wow! I've never seen an opal of that type. So pretty. I love the dark color! Are Boulder opals very rare?

My husband bought an opal for me when he went to Australia - it seems mandatory - but it's of a much more common type. And I had a dispute with the jeweler who set it. The jeweler claimed I would break/ crack the opal immediately in a ring. He also would only set in YG. He refused to use WG. I've been walking on egg shells with the ring ever since.

The jeweler sounds kind of odd, lol. Maybe opals just make him nervous, which I understand, but kind of odd that he wouldn't use WG, I wonder why. I've never heard anyone else mention anything like that, I wonder, is that a common thing for jewelers to say when working with opals?

The ring is pretty, and I like YG way better anyway! I like the east west setting.

 

[katharath]

Ok, my opals too, just for fun

Black Lightning Ridge Opal, channel set in 14k rose gold (I LOVE this one!!)





Ethiopian in 14k ring - this one is all over the place colorwise!! Slightly different depending on indoor/outdoor lighting, too







Boulder opal, this is a vendor pic (mine's the center one). I chose it mainly for the creamy iridescent material, which was neat and it is very pretty IRL. The blue/green color play area is small, but very pretty too!

 

[athenaworth]

Ahhhhh!! So jealous of your black opal!!! I will own one one day. Oh yes. I will.

Here's a pic of a ginourmous one that I tried on in Maui. i have no idea where I would've ever worn it, but if I'd hit the lotto I would've bought it in a milisecond.

 

[katharath]

Ahhhhh!! So jealous of your black opal!!! I will own one one day. Oh yes. I will.

Here's a pic of a ginourmous one that I tried on in Maui. i have no idea where I would've ever worn it, but if I'd hit the lotto I would've bought it in a milisecond.

Thank you, there's actually a long story behind that opal, I posted a thread about it in here a month or so ago.

I love the blue/green color play the most, so I really like the one you tried on - that's a huge one!! Cool pics. Opals are so neat, aren't they? I am pretty satisfied with what I have right now in my collection, but if I saw another one that struck me, I'd pick it up too (if I could afford it, of course).

 

[athenaworth]

If I get one I hope it's on my next trip to Australia. That'll probably never happen though because you have to take at least 2 weeks to really enjoy it, and there's no way my hubby can take that much time off. Ah well. For now I'll just oogle others.

 

[kenny]

Wow!
How beautiful!!!!!!

Now I want a fine opal.

 

[chrono]

Common or not, Athena, your ring is gorgeous. The concentration of colour and rich yellow gold is fabulous. Of course the giant black opal is lovely too, only that the wallet disagreed.

Katharath, I doubt I'll ever get tired of seeing your pendant. Such rich colours.

Harpertoo, that's a pretty ring. Perhaps the jeweller hasn't much experience with opals so he preferred to err on the side of caution?

 

[katharath]

Common or not, Athena, your ring is gorgeous. The concentration of colour and rich yellow gold is fabulous. Of course the giant black opal is lovely too, only that the wallet disagreed.

Katharath, I doubt I'll ever get tired of seeing your pendant. Such rich colours.

Harpertoo, that's a pretty ring. Perhaps the jeweller hasn't much experience with opals so he preferred to err on the side of caution?

Chrono, thank you so much! I just love that opal, I wear it almost every day. I am gentle with it, as I want it to last forever, but it's my favorite pendant right now.

 

[katharath]

Wow!
How beautiful!!!!!!

Now I want a fine opal.

Yes, you should get one so you can post pics for us to look at

 

[athenaworth]

Oh man, now I'm cruising eBay. I really shouldn't mix vodka, eBay and the wants.

 

[katharath]

Oh man, now I'm cruising eBay. I really shouldn't mix vodka, eBay and the wants.

Hahaha!! I can kind of relate. My problem is "ambien shopping". Once I bought a book online while on ambien, forgot that I'd bought it, and ordered the same book the next night (on ambien then too). I didn't "remember" until I got both books in the mail!! Isn't that awful? But that's the only time anything like that ever happened to me, and I still take it . And luckily it was like a $3.00 book, nothing pricey. I really couldn't believe I did that though.

 

[athenaworth]

I've Ambien facebooked. That didn't turn out well.

 

[michellechan2211]

I've talked to a friend under Ambien, It did not turn out that well.

 

[Richard M.]

The jeweler sounds kind of odd, lol. Maybe opals just make him nervous, which I understand, but kind of odd that he wouldn't use WG, I wonder why. I've never heard anyone else mention anything like that, I wonder, is that a common thing for jewelers to say when working with opals?

As an opal cutter and goldsmith I can explain. Opal is brittle and bezeling it always involves risk of breakage. Yellow gold is generally softer and more malleable than white gold due to the alloys used. It takes a lot of mechanical force to make the top edge of a white gold bezel "lay down" tightly against a stone, with much greater risk of damage. Most yellow gold alloys are easier to work with. I wouldn't bezel an opal in white gold.

As for boulder opal being scarce, any high quality opal can be considered scarce-- especially stones with black backgrounds. There are many types of "boulder" or ironstone opals but relatively few that reach the top of the quality echelon. Depending on the grading system used (there are several) and the color of the ironstone background, fine boulder opals are often considered in the same category as Lightning Ridge "blacks" and bring stunningly high prices, especially those showing full-face reds.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[katharath]

The jeweler sounds kind of odd, lol. Maybe opals just make him nervous, which I understand, but kind of odd that he wouldn't use WG, I wonder why. I've never heard anyone else mention anything like that, I wonder, is that a common thing for jewelers to say when working with opals?

As an opal cutter and goldsmith I can explain. Opal is brittle and bezeling it always involves risk of breakage. Yellow gold is generally softer and more malleable than white gold due to the alloys used. It takes a lot of mechanical force to make the top edge of a white gold bezel "lay down" tightly against a stone, with much greater risk of damage. Most yellow gold alloys are easier to work with. I wouldn't bezel an opal in white gold.

As for boulder opal being scarce, any high quality opal can be considered scarce-- especially stones with black backgrounds. There are many types of "boulder" or ironstone opals but relatively few that reach the top of the quality echelon. Depending on the grading system used (there are several) and the color of the ironstone background, fine boulder opals are often considered in the same category as Lightning Ridge "blacks" and bring stunningly high prices, especially those showing full-face reds.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

Ahh, that certainly makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to explain. As an amateur collector, familiar with opal's brittleness and "softness", but wasn't aware of those particular properties of WG. Interesting! I appreciate the info, good to know for future reference.

 

[jstarfireb]

All my opals are pretty common. I'd love to have an amazing black opal and typically prefer green-blue play of color (which I guess is better for my wallet since red tends to cost more). I have a pair of nice boulder opals set in earrings and a couple of faceted Wollo opals from The Gem Trader set in pendants. I don't have great pics, but this is what I have...

Barry's pic of the opals:

 

[GregS]

Athenaworth, that Opal is spectacular! I have been looking for a nice small, preferably square boulder Opal for a while now. Yours has shown me what I should hold out/look for.

 

[indigoblue]

Y'all are a bad influence on me. I didn't even KNOW there was something called a boulder opal until reading about them here this morning, and now I own one.

I went to the local rock and mineral show this afternoon. I'd never been to one, and it was lots of fun. One guy tried to sell me a 2 carat pad sapphire for $1200, but the giant window was a real turn off. As I approached another booth, a total stranger turned to me, showed me a pendant, and asked, "Is this pretty?" He wanted a female opinion on something he was purchasing as a gift for his wife. I had never seen a boulder opal in person, but when he showed it to me, I asked the vendor if it was one. Sure enough, it was. And I told him that it was pretty, so he bought it. He was impressed with my expertise!! Hahahahahaha!

So now I own a little bitty 22mm 3.48ct boulder opal.

 

[katharath]

Y'all are a bad influence on me. I didn't even KNOW there was something called a boulder opal until reading about them here this morning, and now I own one.

I went to the local rock and mineral show this afternoon. I'd never been to one, and it was lots of fun. One guy tried to sell me a 2 carat pad sapphire for $1200, but the giant window was a real turn off. As I approached another booth, a total stranger turned to me, showed me a pendant, and asked, "Is this pretty?" He wanted a female opinion on something he was purchasing as a gift for his wife. I had never seen a boulder opal in person, but when he showed it to me, I asked the vendor if it was one. Sure enough, it was. And I told him that it was pretty, so he bought it. He was impressed with my expertise!! Hahahahahaha!

So now I own a little bitty 22mm 3.48ct boulder opal.

LOL!! Great story and a nice find! That's a very pretty one.

 

[katharath]

Jstar- your opal pair is pretty too. I agree with you, I like the blue/green flash better and am happy that it tends to be cheaper

A lot of pretty boulder opals in here!

 

[Harpertoo]

The jeweler sounds kind of odd, lol. Maybe opals just make him nervous, which I understand, but kind of odd that he wouldn't use WG, I wonder why. I've never heard anyone else mention anything like that, I wonder, is that a common thing for jewelers to say when working with opals?

As an opal cutter and goldsmith I can explain. Opal is brittle and bezeling it always involves risk of breakage. Yellow gold is generally softer and more malleable than white gold due to the alloys used. It takes a lot of mechanical force to make the top edge of a white gold bezel "lay down" tightly against a stone, with much greater risk of damage. Most yellow gold alloys are easier to work with. I wouldn't bezel an opal in white gold.

As for boulder opal being scarce, any high quality opal can be considered scarce-- especially stones with black backgrounds. There are many types of "boulder" or ironstone opals but relatively few that reach the top of the quality echelon. Depending on the grading system used (there are several) and the color of the ironstone background, fine boulder opals are often considered in the same category as Lightning Ridge "blacks" and bring stunningly high prices, especially those showing full-face reds.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

Rick, Thanks for the explination. I have no doubt the jeweler explained this to me at the time, but that was maybe 20 years ago and all I remember hearing was "no white gold, blah blah it is only a matter of time before you break this opal."
In retrospect, I think they did a fine job on the bezel, and the YG really suits the stone. At the time I just compulsively wanted everything i had to match.

 

[athenaworth]

Well, as expected, the vodka brought on an ebay purchase. Hey, I can just write it off as an educational expense, right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lightning-Ridge-Solid-Gem-Black-Fire-Opal-Red-Color-Gemstone-1-34ct-MICKS-/370762707762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56532df332

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Just an example of the price a large, colourful boulder opal cab fetch: https://www.etsy.com/listing/32391875/78-carat-koroit-boulder-opal-nut?ref=shop_home_feat

Of course, a 78 carat black opal would be much, much more expensive!

 

[athenaworth]

Wow! That's gorgeous.