1st ring - Opal & Diamond. Worth the price?

[jeNYC]

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in buying my first ring and I really like the oval shape and I'm wondering if this opal and diamond ring is worth the price? I know nothing about diamonds and gems.

It currently retails for $1450 on Bluenile. After 15% off promotion and tax, it will cost $1342. Here's the link but I also attached pictures. Thank you!

http://www.bluenile.com/opal-diamond-18k-white-gold-ring_20552?elem=img&track=product

 

[ame]

The setting alone is probably worth about that anywhere else though I'm not keen on the diamond quality. The photos of the Opal don't give us much to go on quality wise though. They have a great return policy so you can return it I believe within 30 days if you are not happy with it when you see it.

Opal is not really an everyday wear stone though. So keep that in mind. It's very soft and cannot take abuse. It also needs to be cleaned carefully.

 

[millivanilli]

I want to concur with the comment about diamond qualitiy.
SI2 is not so good, nevertheless asked for (as much cheaper as IF). As the stones seem to be really tiny SI2 won't disturb that much.

My concern would be the opal. Perhaps I am too blind to see it, but I didn't see anything declaring weather the opal is a doublet or a triplet or a single stone. That would make a hughe difference.

Assumed it is neither a doublet nor a triplet this would be a good price. If I was you I'd check that

 

[BigPurseSue]

I agree with the above comments. I would be concerned with the quality of the opal. Is it a doublet or triplet? And does it have any fire? You can't tell from the photo. Opals in mass-produced rings are often rather bland and milky-looking. Go to a jewelry store that does a lot of custom work with opals and compare their stones' richness of color and fire with that of opals in mass-produced rings. That will tell you whether you'll be happy long-term with the opal in this ring. Very pretty ring!


By the way, 10mm is really small.

 

[Mcandy]

Opal is not good as everyday ring...sapphires or rubies are better...

 

[jeNYC]

Thank you ame, millivanilli and BigPurseSue for your inputs. I have decided against it since I can be careless and Opal is fragile and can chip easily. Though I'm glad I was able to learn more about gem from you all. Thank you again!

 

[cdtracing]

Late to the party & I see you have decided against getting it but I just wanted to say I agree with all that has been said. I'm not impressed with the quality of the diamonds & opals can be tricky. It's really hard to tell if the opal is quality from pictures. Opals show up better under one light source much like star rubies & sapphires. Crystal opals like the one pictured don't often have a lot of fire. Australian Black opals & some African opals have a lot of fire & color play but they are very expensive. I have found that it's best to visually see the opal before purchasing. Blue Nile does a good return policy that you could return it if not satisfied. But I would not wear an opal ring everyday. It's a soft, fragile stone & can chip & break. And they have to be gently cleaned & not use any kind of harsh chemical or product on them. You can't up them in a Sonic jewelry cleaner either. I think you would be better off with a fine gemstone like a ruby, sapphire, garnet, ect that is a higher hardness on the mohs scale for an every day ring. JMO

 

[jeNYC]

Late to the party & I see you have decided against getting it but I just wanted to say I agree with all that has been said. I'm not impressed with the quality of the diamonds & opals can be tricky. It's really hard to tell if the opal is quality from pictures. Opals show up better under one light source much like star rubies & sapphires. Crystal opals like the one pictured don't often have a lot of fire. Australian Black opals & some African opals have a lot of fire & color play but they are very expensive. I have found that it's best to visually see the opal before purchasing. Blue Nile does a good return policy that you could return it if not satisfied. But I would not wear an opal ring everyday. It's a soft, fragile stone & can chip & break. And they have to be gently cleaned & not use any kind of harsh chemical or product on them. You can't up them in a Sonic jewelry cleaner either. I think you would be better off with a fine gemstone like a ruby, sapphire, garnet, ect that is a higher hardness on the mohs scale for an every day ring. JMO

Thank you for the info! Always helpful to know more!