Jewelry items on this page are not for sale.
These items are in our private collection and the intent is to show
how beautiful opals can be when mounted.

Opal pendant. The opal is treated matrix from the Andamooka opal field, South Australia. The opal is mounted in 18k yellow gold with small diamond accent stones. You can see the difference in color play as the direction of the light is changed. A super bright multicolor stone with broad flashfire pattern. I was fortunate to mine this stone in 1979, and to be able to cut and treat it. This type of matrix opal comes only from Andamooka and is unique. The pendant was designed by Jo Ann Smith, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Yet another picture of the pendant, but with the matching ring. The opal in the ring is from the same piece of rough as the pendant. It is an 10x8mm oval mounted in 18k yellow gold with small diamonds to accent. It was a thrill to find this piece and even more exciting after treating it and seeing the colors leap out of the black background.

Do I like Andamooka matrix, YES! Unfortunately I didn't have the pleasure of mining this matrix opal. I bought it from Georg, a longtime opal miner from Andamooka, who happened to show up on my door step one day. At the time I hardly knew what opal was let alone matrix opal, and didn't have a clue of what Andamooka was. This stone kindled my interest in opal and mining. It is about a 20ct. opal.

Opal rings featuring fine crystal opal from Lightning Ridge, Australia. The rings are 18k yellow gold. I am a firm believer in bezel mounting fine opals, as it offers the opal better protection. Prongs seem to always be catching in things and I feel that prong mounting applies uneven pressure on the opal which may lead to damage. It is something to consider when designing a mount for your opal. Lightning Ridge is known for its stunning black opal, but many say that the brightest crystal opal comes from the Ridge.

Sequence of images showing the color play of the opal ring shown above.

This ring is similar to the others, 18KY gold with a solid black opal from Lightning Ridge. The opal is a low dome cut, almost flat. The green/blue fire is very bright, a real eye catcher.

An 18KY gold ring with a solid black opal, or is it? Not really. The ring is 18KY gold but the opal is a doublet. I made the doublet with a slice of very high quality Lightning Ridge crystal opal, backed with black opal potch. It is mounted in such a way that you can not see the line where the opal types are joined. When held up to a light, you can see through the opal. It has all of the qualities of a fine crystal black opal. I have shown the ring to others who know opal, and they can not detect that it is a doublet. The intent is not to fool, but to show that doublets can make fine jewelry also. Doublets of this quality are usually valued at one tenth of the value of an equivalent black opal. Doublets can be expensive, but when made properly, are long lasting and beautiful.

Well, what more is there for me to say about Andamooka matrix opal. This is top of the line material. The pattern is bright and so regular it almost looks fake. When turned it goes from blue/greens to yellow/reds and oranges. Not a dead spot on the stone. It's big too, about 25 carats of blazing beauty, mounted in a gold ring. I got this piece in the rough while I was mining in Andamooka, 25 years ago. I cut and polished it, all the time hoping it would treat. It did, what luck, and it looks as good today as it did 25 years ago.

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