Working in the Opal Industry in Australia, it’s interesting to see – on a daily basis – the look of amazement on those who are newcomers to the gem.
We also hear some ‘pearlers’ of stories/pre-conceived notions of what Opals look like or what they are made of, and of course, the whole bad luck myths (thank you very much, De Beers).
The thing is, when we have clients coming in saying that they want a blue opal, or they want a black opal, set, for less than $100 (good luck with that one), we are always quick to re-educate them on Australia’s National Gemstone, and we get them appreciating Opal and being a lot more informed than before they had walked through our door.
So, what is the bid deal about Opal?
We like it because of it’s myriad of colour – in that no other gemstone in the world comes close to being as random with its colour spectrum and mesmerising patterns.
We like it because it makes for more interesting, unique, stunning jewellery, particularly when the jeweller is skilled so that they create something that enhances the uniqueness of the stone, instead of making it look like an old, traditional-style triplet pendant.
We love it because roughly 95% of the world’s opals come from Australia, and, we do have the best, and most stable material in the world.
Customers that come through normally have the light opal in mind, because that is what they know, and they’re not aware of material like Boulder Opal, Black Opal, Opal Matrix and such (though the previous article that we borrowed from Jeweller magazine exagerrated the cost of Black Opal a bit – starting at $20,000 for black opal? Don’t think so), so when they do see this ‘other’ material, they are absolutely blown aware by it’s striking colour and versitility.
What we love seeing is people stepping out of the comfort zone of diamonds, and reaching into the world of Opal, where to be honest, you will end up with something far more unique and attention-grabbing. Hence why we are still witnessing an increase in Opal engagement ring enquiries.
I guess the moral of this story is, we urge you, if you haven’t already done so, step outside the square and explore the world of colour that Opal can offer you. Let your imagination run wild with the possibilities of this stone.
