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Saturday, November 12, 2011

My new sterling silver and Opal gemstone ring



I love freeform gemstones. I collect them one by one. Simply cannot resist the temptation. When they are cut into a small freeform shape, I feel as if part of the world is in my little hands. The richness and variety of stones never ceases to amaze me. Lately it has been Australian boulder Opal stones. Last week I was to prepare a necklace for a customer of mine. Instead I felt that  I MUST create this ring first. Of course I finished the necklace and delivered it on time, but the real fun was in making this ring. It may be one of the simplest designs I've made, but sometimes "simple" in collaboration with a beautiful stone does the job. 
Sterling silver ring with Australian Boulder Opal gemstone


Here is some information about Opal stones:
 There were times when the stone was considered an unlucky stone, probably becuase of it's fragility. Cutting this stone is rather tricky because it has a tendency of chipping.
Anyway , the stones I use, are cut with a thick layer of the basic matrix, to give it a stong backing.
The stone contains a high percentage of water, and can deteriorate if entered into hot or cold fluids.Inspite of this, some places in the world use it as a charm for luck.


One can find Opals in a numerous and awesome variety, here are 3 examples:
Harlequin Opal. This stone has a rich coloration with specs of blue, red and yellow. 
Common opal  has a dull white color with a tendency to blue but is  not as flashy as the Harlequin.
Fire opal  has intense red and yellow hues.
I  love to combine them in my jewelry.
If you love Opals too,you should know one important thing about them: 
They  should be washed in pure water from time to time to  remove traces of makeup from the stones. Never wear them while tending to house work.
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4 comments:

debbi@yankeeburrowcreations said...

I can understand your need to create with this stone, it is just beautiful!
Debbi
- ourhometoyours

Beauty Boss Agnes said...

Love that ring....and opals too, even though I am an amethyst stone type of girl....

Almost Precious said...

It is a beautiful stone and your ring turned out gorgeous.
I enjoyed learning about its properties. I guess most opals are rather fragile as I had a friend who always wore this most fantastic opal ring and one day she accidently hit it on the handle of her car door. The opal fractured in two and fell out of the ring. Unfortunately her car was parked in lush deep grass and we searched and searched but never found the missing pieces of her opal ring.

mahakk01 said...

I can understand why you are so excited about this ring. It’s very pretty. I also love free form gemstone. The combination of sterling silver and Opal gemstone is perfect. The design of ring is simple but classy. Thanks for explaining properties of the gemstone.
antique gold rings