Opal engagement rings

Opal engagement rings! It’s a BIG decision because this ring is not just for a special occasion but captures a memory for the rest of your life,

The wearing of rings for engagement and other reasons goes back a long way. See: History of the wearing of rings

Some of the earliest examples of dress rings among headdresses and other ancient jewelry can be seen today in museums such as the one at the University of Pennsylvania where jewelry from the ancient city of Ur south of Baghdad, Iraq was salvaged after archaeological digs in the 1920 ’s…

What features of opal would make it so desirable as an engagement ring?

Well, there are so many gorgeous gemstones featured in rings. The most expensive usually being diamonds if they are of high quality but sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and other colored stones often compete with them in price and appeal.

The thing that makes opals stand out from all of them is the fact that they have this amazing knack of attracting the human eye almost as if they are alive because they often change from one color to another as they are rotated even slightly.

Why does an Opal engagement ring feature the stone more than other types of jewelry?

The obvious reason is that the hand moves more than (for example) the neck, so the stone catches light coming from many different directions and the colors role from one to another.

This is because the surface of the opal is made up of minute spheres that grab the color from the spectrum and change it to different colors. Hence an opal ring can be basically red but when it turned can turn to greens, yellows, and blues, depending on the size of the microscopic spheres.

Opal engagement rings – totally unique in the world of gemstones

Technically this is correct with whatever gemstone you are wearing but it must be said that even though no two diamonds are identical the difference with opal is that they are OBVIOUSLY different, whereas the white of the diamond, the blue of the sapphire, or the green of an emerald can look pretty much the same.

Opals are often called ‘the personality stone’ because you can get them in just about any color and they can match a persons preference whether it is green like emerald, blue like sapphire, red like a ruby, yellow like yellow sapphire, deep red like garnet, and other varieties.

And if you want the presence of a diamond, you can always add a couple of small diamonds which are not so expensive. (see an example of the black opal ring with diamonds on this page.

Designs

The designs shown here are just examples. The Ladi-Di design, for example, has been named after the engagement ring given to The Princess of Wales by Charles, in the early 1980’s. It’s a traditional diamond surround design.

If you have your own design idea you can do a rough sketch of it and send it to us for completion. Or you may see a ring already in existence that you like. Just take a picture and send to us.

The ring can be made in either white or yellow gold or if you want to keep the price down to conserve money as you begin your married life, you can use precious silver as an alternative. Some of the rings on this page are a combination of silver and gold which is another alternative.

Peter will be happy to give you some ideas and whether you buy something on this site or not, he is pleased to offer suggestions. You can contact Peter in the HELP!, “leave a message” box (bottom right-hand corner of the page) here in the contacts page or in the blog at the bottom of this page

Opal engagement rings – Finger sizing – Chart

Make sure you get the right size. Rings, of course, can be sized but in the case of an opal dress ring, it’s better if the supplier does the sizing so that they can make sure the job is done right without affecting the stone.

Take a look at these rings for ideas. If you a ring appeals to you, check the different finger sizes and you might find the ring that suits your finger so you don’t have to worry about sizing. Go here for some interesting information about how to find your finger size in different countries.

A special warning Just about every day I get folks from around the world really upset about a ring they have purchased from well-meaning jewelers with an opal that has either lost its color or turned an ugly brown. These stones come from countries where the climate is too wet.

The opal is called ‘hydrophane’ and is very porous and apart from being prone to cracking, it absorbs water which takes away the color. Sometimes the color can be restored after drying out but it’s too risky. Our suggestion is to only buy Australian opals because of the dry climate where they are found. If you want help in making a decision, Peter is always willing to assist. There is no obligation to buy.

Comments from opal customers

“Thank you so much. The ring is exactly what we were after. The design & stone is amazing. This is a present for our daughter and she will be able to keep this ring and hand it on. Peter has done a fantastic job and nothing to was too much to ask. Highly recommend Peter and his work. Thanks”

Raelene R

Opal Engagement Rings

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