So You Think You Don’t Like Opals?

12 March 2014 by Susie Stenmark

Hello sunshine … STENMARK Colourburst earrings with Mexican fire opal drops, pearls encircled by yellow sapphires, orange and white enamel, in 14 karat yellow gold.

I’m prompted to write this post because in my world (I mean as an Australian woman, rather than a jewellery designer), opals have a bad reputation.

For too long, the opal (that is, boulder opal with play of light and colour across the blue/green spectrum with flashes of red) has been the mainstay rock of slightly boring and old-fashioned jewellery designed largely for the tourist market. Plus it’s been superstitiously considered bad luck since Victorian days. Until quite recently, that is. Certainly they bought Cate Blanchett nothing but good luck when she wore pale, milky opal and diamond chandelier earrings to collect her Oscar for Best Actress last week.

Now the dark blue green beauty is turning up as the centerpiece of high-end jewels, often paired with emeralds, blue sapphires and tsavorites – gems selected to highlight the boulder opal’s multi-hued depths.

As a designer, I favour the high impact of single hued gems and I like the intensity of opaque stones, especially if the colour is flattering. So I’ve begun to use the less commonly used opals in some of my designs, such as the colour-me-happy Mexican fire opal, in bright translucent orange which can vary in tone from tangerine to sunset. I’ve used the fire opal as a pear-shaped drop in my Colourburst earring (see above), paired with pearls and accented with yellow sapphires, orange and white enamel and set in yellow gold. Net effect: lighthearted and casual fine jewels that are easy to wear as a result – and a perfect accessory for this season’s colour-blocked fashion.

And I’ve made pink opal the hero of my Basket-Weave ring. In a hand-carved cabochon featuring an innocent bloom, petal-pink opal tops a woven yellow gold shank, studded with citrine baguettes. For a piece with more edge, the Basket-Weave ring also comes with a white opal cabochon, with sparkling white sapphire baguettes set in white gold.

On the drawing board, I’m working on a jewel which will use the cerulean blue Peruvian opal (think swimming pool blue) with aquamarines, Ceylon sapphires and amethysts. This piece has made me rethink opals entirely and I can’t wait till it’s ready to show you!