Gem silica or Peruvian blue opal?

[icy_jade]

Hi,

I couldn’t find any thread comparing the two and was wondering if anyone has both and if so, which is more glowy?

Was on the look out for a nice gem silica but I came across this huge 11ct 22.7x15.8mm Peruvian opal:


So now I’m like... should I get a gem silica or just go for this monster sized stone?

What do you think? @Seaglow @Bluegemz or anyone with experience in either opals/gem silica or wearing biiiiiig stones? Is this opal too big?

 

[icy_jade]

The urge to buy is also triggered by @prs beautiful pendant/ring project. At 8.63ct, 16.0x11.2x8.1, the hot pink tourmaline pear does seem to be much more manageable as a ring vs the opal...

Just adding pics here since I love the eye candy. Original thread here LINK

@prs ring/pendant:


And the original inspiration..


Just had a sudden flash that a Caribbean blue stone in that setting will be glorious and now the thought won’t go away!

I do love the color whenever I wear this ring...


So how? Too big/much?
Or if anyone has links to nice gem silica...

It is a harder stone than opal right?

Edit: numerous edits as it’s so hard to type on the phone...

 

[ChaiK]

• 

The danger is that once you go big, everything else pales in comparison.

Check as usual.

Then Buy.

I very calmly telling you. Hopefully, you can practically hear me yelling it at you from across the globe in Italy.......

 

[icy_jade]

• 

The danger is that once you go big, everything else pales in comparison.

Check as usual.

Then Buy.

I very calmly telling you. Hopefully, you can practically hear me yelling it at you from across the globe in Italy.......

I hear you!

Ok it’s too big... a piece of paper cut to size on my finger woke me up from the madness. Was practically covering my entire (not small) finger width.

Lol.

 

[ChaiK]

anyway.

My daughter always says, for anything she wants me to do/buy/make..... "Believe me.....it will work...."

Fatal words for me.....

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

It'll work Icy!

I have learnt from @ChaiK that things can NEVER be too big!

It's only 22mm

The biggest jade flower ring I have is 20mm plus halo which adds another 3mm. At first I thought it was too big. After a few wears the 15mm flowers I bought after feel too small.

You get used to the size!

 

[ChaiK]

It'll work Icy!

I have learnt from @ChaiK that things can NEVER be too big!

It's only 22mm

The biggest jade flower ring I have is 20mm plus halo which adds another 3mm. At first I thought it was too big. After a few wears the 15mm flowers I bought after feel too small.

You get used to the size!

It really is only 22mm.

Good lucky number too. You set with number 8 in the under galley. Wah!!!

But don't listen to me if you don't feel like it。I am dangerous - I approve of everything big with great colour. It's Sunday and I am larking about.

 

[icy_jade]

@ChaiK @mellowyellowgirl

Hahahahaha

I literally lol. But seriously I think it will make an amazing pendant, but not a ring and I really really need to remember to save for a unheated blue sapphire...

 

[Bluegemz]

It is beautiful! I cannot say which material is more luminous, but that cab is fab. The size goes with the material because the eye can swim in the color and the glow of a cab.

It doesn’t seem too big at all to me. I personally do believe that as we mature, bigger is fitting. And it’s true, you may not want to go smaller again after getting used to the size. And 22m is not that big!

Would make a fantastic pendant also.

 

[ChaiK]

It's a pear. So 22 mm pear not big.

22 mm circle is huge ( and I never thought I would have to admit this).

22 mm pear, nyet big. Icsh guten good size.

I rest my case. Off to eat more cake.

Oh, and I love your collection of rings.

 

[pwsg07]

The only thing I worried about blue opal is crazing. I don’t know if they will craze. Most blue opal I have seen are more transparent than gem silica. This year a vendor selling blue opal told me some blue opal and gem silica from Indonesia are from the same source. He actually give me a copy of the article but I am too lazy to read.

 

[lovedogs]

I think gem silica tends to be more "glowy", but I could be wrong. I would personally go for gem silica both for the glow and bc opals can craze and are super sensitive.

 

[Burmesedaze]

Or a big sky blue jadeite cab. Hardier than both though does not have a neon glow.

 

[Bluegemz]

Or a big sky blue jadeite cab. Hardier than both though does not have a neon glow.

Oh, and if you ever find any jadeite in this color, pls let me know!

 

[qubitasaurus]

The ring is nice, but I love the earings! Looks very much like some of ivy new york's designs.

 

[prs]

DW is barely 5'0" and has to shop in the petites section...but she rocks this 27.5ct yellow sapphire with halo:



Just saying...

 

[icy_jade]

Thanks for chipping in @mellowyellowgirl @ChaiK @pwsg07 @Bluegemz @lovedogs @Burmesedaze @qubitasaurus @prs

This is what I did...



That’s not photoshop... I took a piece of post it and cut the shape out lol. Anyway with the halo, I am not sure I can carry off that size... I can’t imagine wearing something like that to the office for sure...

I’ve read that blue Peruvian opals are generally stable and don’t craze... does anyone know? But they are 5.5-6 on the mohs scale while gem silica is 7 so I think I would prefer a gem silica. I mean if I have an unlimited budget I would snap up the blue opal pear for sure but I don’t and there’s always the unheated blue sapphire that’s hopefully on the horizon soon...

But I do tend to mull and obsess over stuff that I like so who knows I might just break and buy the opal just like I did for the panda bear ring

 

[Hivona]

Coya Gems on Instagram sells both Peruvian blue opals and gem silica. I have a nice glowy gem silica I purchased from Lovedogs and an opaque one from Barry Bridgestock. I also recently purchased a glowy blue opal from Missouri River Sapphire Co. Check out their instagram too. They have some new stock of blue opal. I didn't know gem silica could be translucent to opaque. Ill try to get some pictures.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Hi,

I couldn’t find any thread comparing the two and was wondering if anyone has both and if so, which is more glowy?

Was on the look out for a nice gem silica but I came across this huge 11ct 22.7x15.8mm Peruvian opal:


So now I’m like... should I get a gem silica or just go for this monster sized stone?

What do you think? @Seaglow @Bluegemz or anyone with experience in either opals/gem silica or wearing biiiiiig stones? Is this opal too big?

can it really be too big ?

use a bigger finger
a thumb maybe
its a gorgouse colour

 

[Hivona]

Sorry for the bad lighting. It’s kind of overcast. The ring is a more translucent gem silica & the diamond shape is an opaque gem silica. The middle odd shape is the blue opal. The ring glows almost as much as the opal but I couldn’t capture it in a photo.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Oooh I am 100% obsessed with the ring in @BlingObsession 's avatar

https://www.pricescope.com/community/members/blingobsession.62283/

I know she left details about it somewhere but I carrently dont have the time to track them down.

 

[lovedogs]

Sorry for the bad lighting. It’s kind of overcast. The ring is a more translucent gem silica & the diamond shape is an opaque gem silica. The middle odd shape is the blue opal. The ring glows almost as much as the opal but I couldn’t capture it in a photo.

Aww yay, happy to see that ring! I'm definitely planning to buy another gem silica at some point and put it in a setting that feels more like "me".

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

DW is barely 5'0" and has to shop in the petites section...but she rocks this 27.5ct yellow sapphire with halo:



Just saying...

That is the most beautiful yellow sapphire ring I have ever seen! Wow