Opals and Your Engagement Ring

Opal has a wonderful vibrant play of colours known as iridescence. If you are stuck and can’t quite decide on which colour to choose for your engagement ring… why not end the struggle and just go for everything! Opals have a lovely range of colours and can often be sourced with a rainbow display of colours… making it perfect if you are feeling a little indecisive! In fact it is believed that when opals first emerged in the jewellery trade Merchants spread rumours that the stones were unlucky as they were scared people would abandon sapphires, emeralds and rubies in favour of a gemstone which had all of their colours! Opals have of course been a popular option for many many years and were a particular favourite with royals such as Queen Victoria and became a staple gemstone of the Art Nouveau period.

Opals can provide such a variety of options if you are considering your wedding jewellery, or even just a dress piece for you to wear for special occasions… of course if it were up to me I’d wear mine everyday! There is a vast range of different types of opal which cover a great variety of colours e.g. black opal, white opal, jelly opal, fire opal, opal matrix, boulder opal, crystal opal, Ethiopian opal, harlequin opal, Andean opal, potch opal, prase opal and seascape opal. I think it is pretty fair to say that if you are considering one of these beauties for your wedding jewellery you are certainly going to be spoilt for choice!

Opal is the birthstone for the month of October and seems to be a popular choice for eternity rings which often contain birthstones as part of their design. Sadly opals are fairly delicate gemstones and require a very secure design with a very protective setting, which can be quite difficult to achieve as part of an eternity ring. If you are looking to have a ‘birthstone inspired’ piece commissioned why not consider having a dress ring, pendant or even a pair of earrings made for your loved one? If you do choose to use this lovely gemstone just be sure to treat it with the care it deserves… opals need a little bit of loving care so always seek the advice of a jeweller before making your purchase.

When talking about opals allot of people will talk about ‘doublets’ and triplets’… but what are these stones and are they a good option for engagement rings? A doublet consists for two pieces which are fused together, the top section being a slice of precious natural opal, with a lower section which acts as a base such as potch opal, glass or chalcedony. A triplet on the other hand has a third layer which tops the gemstone with a protective layer of rock crystal. Doublets and triplets often improve the hardiness of an opal making it more suitable for rings that are worn on a daily basis such as engagement rings and wedding rings.