My 1st purchase ever... is it worth buying? - What do you think of this vintage opal/diamond/tsavorite garnet ring?

[Soseattle]

Starstruck8 is correct. Over the years I have found that opal sellers are masters at manipulating light conditions to get the best out of an opal. While the opal may look like the photos in some light conditions, they often are disappointing in the most common light conditions encountered when wearing them. With this particular opal I would be concerned that in real life conditions it would be very transparent. The base looks quite clear. When this happens the color flashes become much less apparent. I have made mistakes in the past with purchasing stones like this when I was new to purchasing opals.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Wow, thanks for all the info! I hadn't come across welo opals until recently and didn't know they would absorb liquid and lose some of their color play. I had heard opals were quite fragile, but wouldn't think it was so highly common. I once chipped a cheap amethyst solitare ring so I probably should re-consider if a ring over a necklace would be what I go for. I usually never take jewelry off and would be too tempted to wear a ring all the time.

Lovely collection! The #3 pin is my favorite. But that bracelet is gorgeous too. The purple tone is unique, as is the setting. Is it antique? I can see the allure in each of the stones with the different color flashing and undertones.

sometimes its hard to remember to take a necklace off when one jumps in the shower
i live in a hard water area so all that lime in the water is bad

good luck with your search

 

[vintagecharm]

I have a few Welo opal rings in Silver from eBay. They are cheap to buy and still beautiful so I get my “wearing fix” without feeling like my life is over if inadvertently damage occurs!
And the “black opal Welo” lost its colourplay unfortunately.

Such a nice collection. That's really a shame about the black opal welo losing it's colourplay. The multicolored stones around it really 'popped' those colors... that ring is my favorite of the bunch. Though the white floral one is perfect for a wedding or cocktail party.

 

[vintagecharm]

sometimes its hard to remember to take a necklace off when one jumps in the shower
i live in a hard water area so all that lime in the water is bad

good luck with your search

Thanks. Water in my area is hard too, about 154 ppm of water, and I don't think I've ever taken a necklace off to shower in my life. Even Kendra Scott fashion jewelry I've got I never take off... even though the golden plating wears off in a few months of non-stop wear like that.

 

[vintagecharm]

Starstruck8 is correct. Over the years I have found that opal sellers are masters at manipulating light conditions to get the best out of an opal. While the opal may look like the photos in some light conditions, they often are disappointing in the most common light conditions encountered when wearing them. With this particular opal I would be concerned that in real life conditions it would be very transparent. The base looks quite clear. When this happens the color flashes become much less apparent. I have made mistakes in the past with purchasing stones like this when I was new to purchasing opals.

That would really be a bummer for a stone to be rather plain looking in person. I didn't know clear bases were a thing in opals. I'm so glad I remembered this forum and posted here instead of buying something I would've regretted. Everyone's advice has been so helpful and interesting.

 

[vintagecharm]

It doesn't even require photoshopping. My guess is that the picture just used a single bright light source with default processing. With opals, this is almost sure to lead to 'clipped'/'maxed out'/'burnt out' colours.


(RGB values range from 0 to 255)

Once you get you eye in, you notice this in most opal pictures. The clue is patches of flat intense colour.

The issue is that default image processing is tuned for 'normal' subjects, which don't have many bright or saturated colours. Opal colours, especially with directional lighting, can be exceptionally bright and saturated, so standard processing can't handle them properly. It takes a fair bit of luck and skill in lighting and processing to produce plausible photos of opals.

The moral: You have to look at a range of opals in person. Compare them with their pictures, taking notice of the lighting. That's how you learn to 'read' the pictures.

Whoa... I didn't realize those color flashes were burnt out. I used to edit photos in photoshop and loved overdoing color filters so maybe that's why these photos appealed to me. I'm so glad to see your diagram to try to develop my eye for these stones, thanks! A super bright light source wouldn't be my usual condition. I've never seen an opal in person other than my late grandmother's ring as a kid, so I really do need to go to a few jewelry stores and browse to get a feel for them in person.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thanks. Water in my area is hard too, about 154 ppm of water, and I don't think I've ever taken a necklace off to shower in my life. Even Kendra Scott fashion jewelry I've got I never take off... even though the golden plating wears off in a few months of non-stop wear like that.

if you are going to spend good money on jewellery you must train yourself to look after it, it will not be hard to get into good habits if you start tonight
i dont mean to sound like your granny

before i shower i leave mine on the stack of toilet rolls outside the bathroom door although sometimes if im wearing pearls i like to hang then on the open window stay to enjoy the mist
opals are not going to like this, the bathroom is a very bad enviroment for them

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

That would really be a bummer for a stone to be rather plain looking in person. I didn't know clear bases were a thing in opals. I'm so glad I remembered this forum and posted here instead of buying something I would've regretted. Everyone's advice has been so helpful and interesting.

unfortuneatly i discovered this forum after some very dodgy purcheses