Inken at Enhoerning found this lovely and somewhat subtle untreated black crystal opal and I couldn't say no. It's from a vintage ring that was scrapped and the opal was then re-fashioned by an expert in Germany. It's big (20 mm in longest dimension) and only blue/violet flashes (no orange/red/green) so it has an almost-Goth/Halloween look to it. I'm hoping to design something for a mid-20s DD who is not Goth but has funky/eclectic taste. She mixes high and low and loves big cabochon rings. But she is a little hard on rings (as we all are in our family) so as much as I would love to put this in a ring, it may make more sense as a pendant.
Here is the opal in a few lights. Indoors in low light, it looks like a giant, dark Burma sapphire (!) -- meaning it's hard to see too much but definitely looks uniform deep blue. My DSLR photos below make it look more purple than blue but it is fairly monochromatic. (It was not priced like a full color-play black opal and Inken cautioned me that, however "cool" I found it, it was not a "collector-grade" black opal -- but for this have-only-ever-seen-white-opal novice, it knocked me out.) From the side, it is almost colorless and it is quite "tall" (thick).
The GIA report:
It reminds me a little of this one from Lang:
For a ring:
If I went with a ring, and I have reservations about that, I was thinking a simple, stout white-metal bezel with a heavy shank. I think that would be pretty well protected and could "pass" for cheap jewelry when she wants it to. The risk is that it will look like the "mood rings" of my childhood (see below)!
Ideally, I would love a halo that echoes, in whole or in part, the colors of the center stone but I think that would be too fragile. One of you found or owns an amazing Art Deco example with rubies (IIRC) at the "cardinal points" but I was only able to see these examples:
For a pendant, I can confirm that it retains its color when hung "vertically"; however, she does not want the traditional charm-dangling-from-a-fine-chain "V." If worn as a pendant, she would prefer something better-integrated into a more architectural-type chain. I just don't see it set E/W, in part because it is so deep that I think it would tend to flop down.
So I'm looking for guidance on a safe(ish) ring or a more contemporary pendant. If it were for my wife (who has grown weary of my gem exploits), I would love to halo it with blue sapphire rounds, or white diamonds with blue sapphires at the cardinal points. But for this DD, I may need more out-of-the-box creativity. (She will love whatever I come up with but I am hoping to incorporate her design sensibility -- she is very fashionable on a budget with lots of thrifting paired with the very occasional full-price signature piece.)
Here is the opal in a few lights. Indoors in low light, it looks like a giant, dark Burma sapphire (!) -- meaning it's hard to see too much but definitely looks uniform deep blue. My DSLR photos below make it look more purple than blue but it is fairly monochromatic. (It was not priced like a full color-play black opal and Inken cautioned me that, however "cool" I found it, it was not a "collector-grade" black opal -- but for this have-only-ever-seen-white-opal novice, it knocked me out.) From the side, it is almost colorless and it is quite "tall" (thick).
The GIA report:
It reminds me a little of this one from Lang:
For a ring:
If I went with a ring, and I have reservations about that, I was thinking a simple, stout white-metal bezel with a heavy shank. I think that would be pretty well protected and could "pass" for cheap jewelry when she wants it to. The risk is that it will look like the "mood rings" of my childhood (see below)!
Ideally, I would love a halo that echoes, in whole or in part, the colors of the center stone but I think that would be too fragile. One of you found or owns an amazing Art Deco example with rubies (IIRC) at the "cardinal points" but I was only able to see these examples:
For a pendant, I can confirm that it retains its color when hung "vertically"; however, she does not want the traditional charm-dangling-from-a-fine-chain "V." If worn as a pendant, she would prefer something better-integrated into a more architectural-type chain. I just don't see it set E/W, in part because it is so deep that I think it would tend to flop down.
So I'm looking for guidance on a safe(ish) ring or a more contemporary pendant. If it were for my wife (who has grown weary of my gem exploits), I would love to halo it with blue sapphire rounds, or white diamonds with blue sapphires at the cardinal points. But for this DD, I may need more out-of-the-box creativity. (She will love whatever I come up with but I am hoping to incorporate her design sensibility -- she is very fashionable on a budget with lots of thrifting paired with the very occasional full-price signature piece.)
300x240.png)