Opals

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#17
I love opals but they are more fragile than many stones. You can't use typical cleaning solutions either, the opal can dry out. I've heard you can oil them to help keep them from getting brittle, but I'm pretty sure they can't be fixed if cracked. So if you want an everyday ring, you may want to consider something else.
 
#18
I like to see what others consider an "everyday" ring. This was definitely not going to be worn everyday. I just like to know if it can withstand that type of wear. I think opals are lovely and that I might consider getting one, but it does concern me that they do crack if they are not cared for properly.
 
#19
Hi, my husbands family have been in the opal (and pearl) business for over 100 years since his grandfather started the business. They have owned shares in mines in the past but now only do retail. I own many lovley pieces. Opals are fagile in the sence that you cant bang them or treat them mean!!!! But many precious gems are also in this category.

Sadly the supply is drying up. One reason is that there just arent as many people willing to live the life of an opal miner. It is a hard life. In addition, the actual supply of opal itself is dwindling. This means that it is getting very hard to buy good opal (firey, black) and prices are high. There are cheaper options coming on the market like treated colored opals, but they are not solid opal. We dont deal with opal substitutes.

In Australia the demand for opal jewellery is almost zero!!!! All our opal sales are to os. travellers. Unfortunately for Australian opal sellers, our own people have little interest in Australias own stone!!!! Which is a shame because some of it is very beautiful.

Anyway, for anyone buying the opal make sure it is from an established company and that they have a good return policy. And one more thing, beware of shops and sites where `everything` is on sale. This is rampent in the opal trade and goes back to the time when typical opal customers were wanting to bargain (for cultural reasons), so the prices would give room for this. The real price is the reduced price anyway.
 
#20
^^Wow! Thanks for the information. I was wondering about the constant sales I see on jewelry at certain stores. It seems like they are on sale every weekend. It is just recently that I found myself liking opals. I very rarely see anyone wearing opals, but I do think they are lovely. I guess if I visit Australia I will definitely look at the opal jewelry because it is the national gemstone.
 
#21
Littlesharon, nice, helpful information! And may I say how lucky you are to be in the opal and pearl business. I sometimes wish I'd taken up a career in jewelery myself.
 
#22
Kitsunegrl said:
Here is a pic of an opal I recently had reset. The opal is about 40 years old, so it has held up pretty well. My old setting was broken and it was definitely time for an upgrade!

The one thing about opals is you cannot use a commercial cleaner on them.
Just wipe them with a soft towel and you will be ok.

Definitely post pics if you get your opal!
Click to expand...

Your ring is TDF! I am particularly interested in your post b/c you had your opal reset and I've been thinking about doing the same thing for a couple of years. Mine is probably only 25 years old, but it's a pendant set in yellow gold with three small diamonds. I have the matching earrings too. It's truly gorgeous, but yellow gold is not my style at all.

I thought the way you surrounded your opal with diamonds and white gold was a great idea. Did you design this yourself? I rarely ever seen opals in white gold, but I think it's such a nice way to go. Also, were you nervous that the jeweler would scratch your opal while resetting it? I am terribly anxious about this, but I really do want to get it re-done.

Thanks!
 
#23
Leelee said:
Your ring is TDF! I am particularly interested in your post b/c you had your opal reset and I've been thinking about doing the same thing for a couple of years. Mine is probably only 25 years old, but it's a pendant set in yellow gold with three small diamonds. I have the matching earrings too. It's truly gorgeous, but yellow gold is not my style at all.

I thought the way you surrounded your opal with diamonds and white gold was a great idea. Did you design this yourself? I rarely ever seen opals in white gold, but I think it's such a nice way to go. Also, were you nervous that the jeweler would scratch your opal while resetting it? I am terribly anxious about this, but I really do want to get it re-done.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You could always look into rhodeum plaiting the setting.
 
#24
Leelee said:
Littlesharon, nice, helpful information! And may I say how lucky you are to be in the opal and pearl business. I sometimes wish I'd taken up a career in jewelery myself.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thumbs up....but Im actually an accountant and hardly ever even see the jewellery shop !!!! Much more boring hey???? But I guess someones got to do the tax work!!!!!!

My husbands family are well known jewellers and opal people around this part of the world. We are one of the biggest opal retailers I might add. And also one of the last men standing....the industry is just shrinking all the time.

eg In Surfers Paradise, Queensland say 5-10 years ago, almost EVERY second shop was opal shops, and they stayed open almosty all night. Fast forward to today, Surfers has only a few opal shops. Most of them closed down. The slump in the tourest industry in Australia really took a huge toll on opal retailers.

Even where we are, the amount of opal shops have decreased dramatically.

Infact, it seems that many jewellery businesses are finding it tough to make a living!!!!
 
#26
Could it be that people are turned off by the fact that opals are fragile and because the rising of prices everywhere too? I know that those two factors are enough to deter some people. I on the other hand would love to have an opal in my jewelry collection. I think they are lovely stones.
 
#27
Leelee,
My jeweler actually found the setting for me. I told her I would like a fairly simple setting with diamonds, but no prongs on the diamonds. The biggest hassle was finding a setting that could accomodate the opal because it is a weird size (10 mmx 13mm).
I trust my jeweler so I had every confidence that they would be careful in setting the opal. It is a local jeweler that has been around for over 50 years.

dmitchell........did you get yours?
 
#28
Kitsunegrl said:
Leelee,
My jeweler actually found the setting for me. I told her I would like a fairly simple setting with diamonds, but no prongs on the diamonds. The biggest hassle was finding a setting that could accomodate the opal because it is a weird size (10 mmx 13mm).
I trust my jeweler so I had every confidence that they would be careful in setting the opal. It is a local jeweler that has been around for over 50 years.

dmitchell........did you get yours?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply Kitsunegrl. It really turned out nicely. I, too, have a trusted jeweler so your positive experience gives me the confidence I need to ask them about resetting my opal.

My DH and I actually have an appointment with her next Saturday to look at an upgrade to my wedding band, so I think I'll take my opal along with me and see what she says.
 
#29
Kitsunegrl said:
Leelee,
My jeweler actually found the setting for me. I told her I would like a fairly simple setting with diamonds, but no prongs on the diamonds. The biggest hassle was finding a setting that could accomodate the opal because it is a weird size (10 mmx 13mm).
I trust my jeweler so I had every confidence that they would be careful in setting the opal. It is a local jeweler that has been around for over 50 years.

dmitchell........did you get yours?
Click to expand...


No, I'm still shopping around because of the information that I read on this thread and the site that was posted. The ring that I originally looked at might not be a solid opal. So I want to visit a few reputable jewelers in the area to make sure I know what I am purchasing. I will keep ya posted and I will post pictures once I find one that is hopefully a solid opal! I knew there was a lot of synthetic opals, but I had no clue that they could be partial opals with crystal covering. I also did not know that some of the opals could be enhanced with colorful foil. I just want to be sure I know what I'm buying.
 
#30
Littlesharon~I have a large opal and diamond ring. What is the best way to clean an opal? The setting has enamel on the gold. I'll try to get a photo up for you. TIA.
 
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