topic Re: Any opal lovers here? in Jewelry

Any opal lovers here?

FuzzyFace — Fri, 18 May 2018 15:50:12 GMT

I never liked opals because I thought the colors were so drab and flat. Was I ever wrong!

A couple of months ago I was in a jewelry shop waiting while a clasp on a necklace was being repaired so I idly looked around. My eye fell on a heart-shaped opal and oh my gosh! It was beautiful! DH saw how I was almost drooling so he laughed and bought it for me.

I won't describe the setting unless you want me to--mostly a heart theme because it was close to Valentine's Day--but oh, that opal! Whatever I had seen before must have been low quality and/or untreated. I'm guessing the one I have could have been treated some way, which doesn't bother me unless they're taking just an ordinary piece of rock, fooling with it and coloring etc., and trying to pass it off as the real thing.

What's so striking is the way it picks up color and sparkles it, and almost shoots out sparks of all kinds of color. I wore mine with a pink shirt recently and it was gorgeous, shimmering pink (not shocking pink), and NOT garish at all. Right now i'm wearing a blue shirt and the stone is all kinds of shades of blue bands. Wow.

Any comments?

Re: Any opal lovers here?

BirkiLady — Fri, 18 May 2018 16:16:07 GMT

@FuzzyFace Sounds like you've finally found a top quality opal! Or, perhaps a doublet opal. Either way, delighted you are enjoying your stone. Opals are lovely IMO. I inherited one decades ago. Like yours, it does pick up colors from my clothing. It's a fascinating stone. Years later, my husband bought a stunning fire opal. It's clear orangey red and full of "fire"! Nothing like the dull orange stuff shown on QVC. Opals come in all colors; they are fascinating. I keep looking at them in high-end jewelry stores and learning more about them. Like any other stone, keep asking questions and enjoy learning about them! Stones are fun. So happy for you! Wear it in good health. PS: Your husband is a kind man.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

FuzzyFace — Fri, 18 May 2018 16:18:13 GMT

My husband is more than kind; he's a sweetheart and a saint to put up with me. He doesn't believe in Heaven and I've told him that someday he's going to be very surprised to find himself there.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

BirkiLady — Fri, 18 May 2018 16:23:54 GMT

What a perfect come-back!! Love it. (Neither does my son. I may borrow your line.) Thanks for sharing.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

FuzzyFace — Fri, 18 May 2018 16:28:50 GMT

Someone said something a while back that really struck me and has stayed with me.

God loves atheists more because they do good just for the love of doing good, not to please some entity or to avoid eternal punishment.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

qualitygal — Fri, 18 May 2018 18:04:35 GMT

It's my birthstone, but I've seen a few types of opals. Some are really pretty. I have one that's too white. I may have worn it once.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Nightowlz — Fri, 18 May 2018 18:06:01 GMT

That's what my necklace does. It has shades of pinks, greens, blues in it. Depending on color background to which stands out most. Very Pretty. My mom bought it for me years ago. Mine is oval shaped with some gold filigree around it.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

zanna — Fri, 18 May 2018 18:45:49 GMT

I had a gorgeous marquis cut opal set in 14k gold back around 1970. It's my birthstone and I fell in love with the ring while looking in a jewelry store window in downtown Athens, GA, where my husband was in school. He bought it for me for my birthday. I think it was $100, a fortune for us. It flashed blue and pink and it was always glowing and sparking and had real depth. Sadly, one of the pointed ends chipped after about a month of wear. The store replaced the stone, but the replacement stone just was not as beautiful. None of the opals I have seen in the last 20-30 yrs have had that kind of fire.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Love my grandkids — Fri, 18 May 2018 19:18:42 GMT

I like it because it's the birthstone of my sweet, wonderful, funny, good hearted son.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Kachina624 — Fri, 18 May 2018 20:59:04 GMT

@FuzzyFace. Could you new treasure possibly be an Ethiopian opal? They tend to be a lot more colorful than the average Australian opal. I have both and much prefer the Ethiopian version. Any chance you could do a picture? Here's my Ethiopian opal.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

caroline2323 — Fri, 18 May 2018 21:37:24 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@FuzzyFace. Could you new treasure possibly be an Ethiopian opal? They tend to be a lot more colorful than the average Australian opal. I have both and much prefer the Ethiopian version. Any chance you could do a picture? Here's my Ethiopian opal.

Wow! Beautiful @Kachina624!

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Kalli — Fri, 18 May 2018 21:45:43 GMT

@FuzzyFace, I’m an October baby so I have a few opals, 2 are small, mostly white, and only have minimal colors. I agree that you might have a doublet or triplet opal.

One Christmas Dh got me an opal (either doublet or triplet) pendant with a diamond above and small sapphire baguette below. The colors sparkle and are lovely! It’s a nice size and has become one of my statement pieces. I only wear it to special events and love it!

Enjoy your beautiful opal! 😊

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Kachina624 — Fri, 18 May 2018 23:28:31 GMT

I've heard they are no longer mining Australian opal so they've become very expensive. I have one I bought at the International Gem and Jewelry Show in Houston in the 80s. Its quite large, not an doublet or triplet, set with an .18pt diamond on either side in 14k gold. It has a lot of color. I used to wear it when I went to the dentist and play with it under the light he used. I never wear it nowdays.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

FuzzyFace — Sat, 19 May 2018 00:19:13 GMT

@caroline2323 wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
@FuzzyFace. Could you new treasure possibly be an Ethiopian opal? They tend to be a lot more colorful than the average Australian opal. I have both and much prefer the Ethiopian version. Any chance you could do a picture? Here's my Ethiopian opal.

Wow! Beautiful @Kachina624!

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That IS beautiful but mine is a lot different. I honestly don't know where it came from but I don't mind not knowing. It's gorgeous and a gift from my husband and that's good enough for me :-)

Re: Any opal lovers here?

BirkiLady — Sat, 19 May 2018 02:03:31 GMT

@FuzzyFace I also remember hearing that line. However, my late husband was such a dear man, loving husband and father and so kind to my parents, that I don't think he was concerned about any eternal punishment. He was always confident; it probably never crossed his mind. He wasn't that kind of guy to worry about sin and didn't live in fear of what other's thought.

He was a family man first, but he was also a man's man who enjoyed doing guy things, too. His honesty, reputation, ambition and ability to offer help to anyone, anytime was evident in how he lived his life.

If there is a Heaven (and I believe there is), he better be waiting at those pearly gates for me. I'm so anxious to lock lips and get bear hugs again!! Dang, I miss his affection, as well as my best friend, life companion, humor, intelligence, wit, and so much more.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

AngelPuppy1 — Sat, 19 May 2018 09:10:18 GMT

I've always loved them! They seems mystical to me. Some opals are kind of white and lifeless though, while others have fire and seem to have many different colors just shooting from within them!

I was at a store the other day and the woman that checked me out, had the most gorgeous opal ring on. I couldn't stop looking at it. The opal stone was oval in shape and fairly sizeable and there was a single small round diamond on either side of it, and the metal was white gold or platinum. It was so lovely --- I wanted it!!!!

I have a couple small opals -- a ring and earrings. I always wanted more. My mother told me once that it is bad luck to purchase them for yourself. Had anyone ever heard that old tale?

Any way, I think opals are a very versatile and unique stone. They are, however, somewhat fragile.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

CalminHeart — Sat, 19 May 2018 11:27:49 GMT

I have an opal ring and pair of opal earrings in 14k rose gold. The rose gold really sets off the fire of the opals. I'm looking for a pendant but haven't found one I like yet.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

VegasBusinessWoman — Sat, 19 May 2018 17:27:47 GMT

I'm certainly no expert here, but opals seem like a stone you'd have to buy in person to get a good one. They don't seem to photograph well enough to make a good judgment about the true beauty of the stone.

Re: Any opal lovers here?

Kachina624 — Sat, 19 May 2018 22:38:53 GMT

@AngelPuppy1 wrote:
I've always loved them! They seems mystical to me. Some opals are kind of white and lifeless though, while others have fire and seem to have many different colors just shooting from within them!

I was at a store the other day and the woman that checked me out, had the most gorgeous opal ring on. I couldn't stop looking at it. The opal stone was oval in shape and fairly sizeable and there was a single small round diamond on either side of it, and the metal was white gold or platinum. It was so lovely --- I wanted it!!!!

I have a couple small opals -- a ring and earrings. I always wanted more. My mother told me once that it is bad luck to purchase them for yourself. Had anyone ever heard that old tale?

Any way, I think opals are a very versatile and unique stone. They are, however, somewhat fragile.

@AngelPuppy1. That explains everything. LOL

Re: Any opal lovers here?

crawford5153 — Sat, 19 May 2018 22:54:21 GMT

I have several different opals consisting of the Australian from Cober Peddy, Ethiopian Opal and also opal triplets. I LOVE opals but they are soft stones so if you buy a ring be careful when wearing it. They remind me of a rainbow just full of various colors.