Opal is my current favorite stone. And as it also happens to be the birthstone for October (along with tourmaline), it's an ideal time to talk about this gorgeous gem!
I’ve been using opals a lot in my new Karin Jacobson Fine Jewelry Collection, which, with its organic style, lends itself well to these organic shaped stones. The best characteristic of opal is its range of colors – which is basically ALL colors. Lately I’ve been favoring the deeper, watery blues and greens with flashes of orange and red that I’ve been finding in some gorgeous pieces from Australia. Each stone is unique, with different patterns and color which makes each piece of jewelry I use them in unique. Here are a couple of recent examples:
Even more fun is pairing other stones with opal, because the colors of the other stones can highlight the colors of the opal. Have a look at these earrings I just made – I’ve used fancy color denim sapphires to play off the base blue color of the opals, but added a major hit of magenta with these rubellites which pick up the wild flashes of magenta in the opals drops. (Rubellite is a form of tourmaline, which happens to be October’s other birthstone – see a list of birthstones here.)
I have a fantastic stash of opals that I just picked up from a dealer who travels to Australia, meets directly with the miners, brings back these amazing goodies, and cuts them himself. I can’t wait to start my next opal project! Stay tuned!