Yowah nut opal is really small boulder opals that look roughly like a nut from a tree. They can be as small as an apricot seed or as large as a Mango seed. When the nut opens up they often have layers of brown, roundish patterns much like a lemon peel that eventually, as you get to the center of the stone, ends up in either an empty cavity or an area filled with opal. Just how the ‘kernel’ of the nut got filled with precious opal was a complete mystery until geologists and others worked out that a long time in the past the boulder ironstone ‘nuts’ were not as hard as they are today. In fact, at one stage of the development, they were quite porous, allowing a mater based chemical mix, seep down into them. In time, this chemical ‘soup’ containing silica, dried out and left a residue which ended up being either common or precious opal. SHOP OUR BOULDER OPAL RANGE The first time I saw a Yowah Nut opal was back in 1968, my wife and I were doing a tour of the outback. We were in Charleville, western Queensland at the time. Someone said ‘would you like to visit the “opal” mining “nut” town of “Yowah” The temptation was too great and we have always been happy we made that decision. It really changed our lives in more ways than one. In those years, as probably is still the case today with, a few mines were set aside for tourists to try their luck. We located the tourist mines, and for our convenience, there was a ladder you could go down. Some of our friends were not willing to take the risk, and probably today you would not be permitted to do so, but Renate and I and a couple of others couldn’t resist the temptation, and we lowered ourselves down into the depths of the earth to get the opals. Conveniently, someone had left some pics and shovels down there as well, so we enjoyed digging away hoping to find the nuts. Suddenly something glimmered from the wall of the ‘cave’ and we gauged out a really nice chunk of what we later found out was a matrix boulder opal, meaning that the color was more scattered throughout the ironstone rather than in one clump like a Yowah nut. At that early stage or our opal experience, we believed that for an opal to be valuable, it had to be all opal and no mixture of other impurities or remnants of its ironstone ‘mother.’ We didn’t realize at the time that Yowah nut opals hold a fascination that extends far beyond just looking at opal itself. In fact, a feature of this type of gemstone is the amazing patterns and shapes that present themselves as a result of all sorts of external influences from volcanic action, the rushing of water from giant floods, and other seismic activity. These patterns are so unique and rare that, at times even if precious opal itself is not a feature of the stone, the graphic presentation almost makes the appearance of opal irrelevant. SHOP OUR BOULDER OPAL RANGE Yowah nut opals Examples Here are examples of a “Yowah nut opals” and other boulder pictures stones. Interestingly this demand often surfaces among manufacturing jewelers. Particularly those who specialize in handmade creations rather than mass-produced standard sized castings. Designers see the immediate potential in “Yowah nut opals“. Not just because of their rarity and interest factor, but because of their endless design potential. Most of these “Yowah nut opals” are usually cut in free form shape, naturally cleaved out of the rock by the lapidarist. This means that designers of Yowah Nut jewelry do not have to stick to traditional, often boring rounds, ovals and naivete (pointed end) shapes. They can use their imagination to create designs that are totally different; affording the final owner of the piece to have something that they can truly say is unique. SHOP OUR BOULDER OPAL RANGE
The right Gift. The Right Timing. The right presentation
Gifts are special things. Make sure you treat them with the respect they deserve
Sterling silver Opal Earrings Sterling silver Opal Earrings: The earrings to the left are called boulder opal. This means that the opal has a natural backing of dark brown ironstone meaning that the light is thrown forward giving it a denser brilliant look than crystal opal which has no natural backing and is often translucent. Opal, of course,e are very desirable in earrings as with many other precious gemstones but they are not always easy to find because each opal is totally unique. Sterling silver opal earrings are becoming extremely popular. Not only does the white silver metal contrast nicely with either black, boulder, triplet, or doublet opals, but the metal is cheaper than gold and more of it can be used to create more unique designs because the jeweler is not concerned so much for the cost of the metal. The endless colors and patterns of Sterling silver Opal Earrings Opal is such a unique stone and it’s often difficult to get two stones to match. Particularly with boulder opal. However, the amazing patterns and colors in this stone make it acceptable that one earring is slightly different than the other as long as the stones are the same shape and the basic theme colors of the earrings are similar. Here is an example of this. Sterling silver Opal Earrings don’t always match but if you look closely you will find a difference, much like fingerprints. However, this does not take away from the beauty and acceptability of using opals in this capacity because you don’t glare at a pair of earrings. Because they are worn in both ears, there is a considerable space between them. The 14k yellow gold surrounds that encircle these earrings are in the traditional rope design and we have opted to use claws instead of a bezel in this particular pair. Claws are secure and they allow the opal area to be shown more extensively and the presentation is very straightforward without a lot of complication. And as you can see, the lovely green yellow orange patterns don’t need any extra show to make them look outstanding. If you look closely you will see what looks like a harlequin pattern in one of the stones. Harlequin, of course, are the patterns on a clowns outfit and the term has been used to describe any opal that has squarish or defined edged patters. Harlequin is the most valuable of all the opal patterns. History of earrings I hope you enjoyed our video blog post-Sterling silver Opal Earrings For Sale” Please feel free to browse through our range of precious opals and Opal Jewelry, just click the link provided and you will be directed straight there!
Opal Jewelry-Why so popular? Opal Jewelry-Why So Popular? Its a favorite with the girls. Well, it’s not often that you can buy one gemstone and get something that displays the colors of maybe two, three, or more gems. Click here to see more pendants But this is the case with many opals because as most folks know nowadays, opal is the famous stone that has a change of color. In fact, it’s believed that the word ‘opal’ itself means ‘a change of color.’ Certainly, it has the letters ‘Op” in it which obviously connects it with optometry matters. Opal Jewelry – different spellings But what of the opal jewelry itself? Just keep in mind first, that if you are from the United Kingdom, you will spell jewelry as ‘jewellery’ and there are a number of ways that it is often misspelled because I guess from a ‘bloke’s’ point of view, the word is not written down very often. Opal Jewelry-Why so popular – because it’s for all occasions Opal jewelry can be worn for all occasions. It’s wise to think about what you are wearing of course because a dark or black opal will stand out nicely against a light background and a white or crystal opal against a dark background. But if it’s worn against your skin, either will look good. With the price of gold nowadays, a lot of people are opting for silver which is a really lovely metal. Silvers reasonable prices still make opal jewelry affordable and you can design quite large pieces because of this. Popularity Since the stone was found in Australia towards the end of the 19th century, the popularity of opal has gradually climbed. When black opal, for example, was first offered to rich clients in England, they had no idea what it was and offered just a few shillings for the first parcel. This all changed as it gradually dawned on some that this stone was something special and was worth investing in. Today, opal finds its price, not by cartels that control its value but by supply and demand and currently, in 2017, demand is outstripping supply and black opal particularly is getting very difficult to obtain. Fortunately, opalmine.com has been in the business for nearly 50 years and still has a reasonable supply of old stock.
Jewellers Please note that this is a duplicate of the article on ‘jewelers’ We have done this to make sure that people who use the English spelling ‘jewellers’ are not disadvantaged because of the different search term. Most people don’t realize but there are several specialized areas within the jewelry manufacturing process that are sometimes not known by all jewellers. Jewelers such as John, pictured below, have an all-round skill permitting him to tackle just about anything. John actually worked for a firm in England who did jewelry for the Royal family, so his experience was extensive. Some cases you will find that a jeweler can create a nice jewellery piece but you will find out that he often has to send it to another specialist to actually set the stone. check here for opalmine jewelry categories John, one of those jewellers with a heap of skill and patience John, unfortunately (for us) has retired now but when I think of jewellers, I always think of John. You see, to be a jeweler (or ‘jeweller’ as we spell it in Australia and the U.K.) you have to have a number of skills, and not all of them have to do with being a master craftsman as John was (and is). If you have ever had a go at making jewelry yourself as I, being an opal cutter, have done, you will realize that working with gold and silver, creating miniature things is a real challenge. So you don’t just have to have years of experience, you also need patience, which John has, and I don’t have much of. Opal Cutting is a much more straightforward occupation. I actually taught John how to sand and polish opals. He learned that very quickly and was able to make minor repairs without having to send the opals to a separate factory. Well, the traditional way of making jewelry is to take a piece of metal, either gold, silver, platinum, or Palladian (or indeed high quality stainless steel which is being used a lot more nowadays because of its enduring qualities), mill it (put it through a set of steel rollers which flatten the metal and make it into something you can cut and bend) and then start to saw, shape, weld and create a masterpiece by hand. This is the old way of doing it that stretches back through history to the very beginnings of the human race. It’s actually still the most sought-after process. It’s really nice to have something original, made by hand. However, unfortunately, not everyone can afford to pay for the time involved in this process, so other methods have been developed. Other methods the jeweler uses to create masterpieces. Jewellers can also apply the system that is called ‘lost wax casting.’ It must be said that while its true, modern innovative machines have been developed to perfect this process, the method itself is by no means new. Casting too stretches back into history. All sorts of mediums have been used to make copies of things such as cuttlefish, sand, and clay. This involves the creating of a shape in the material to form the basis for the casting. In the case of lost wax casting, the shape which is first carved in wax is installed in a cylinder over which a creamy texture of special clay is poured. It is put into a furnace which hardens the clay and melts the wax (hence the term ‘lost wax’) The hardened clay is then removed from the furnace and allowed to cool and the molten metal is poured into the cylinder down through a connecting tunnel called the ‘sprew.’ When the clay cylinder is split apart, the shape created by the wax is now replaced with the metal, leaving you with the basis for a fine jewellery piece. You can then copy and duplicate this casting with this method. The Jewellers then finish the castings It’s now a matter of filing, sanding, and polishing to bring the jewelry piece to a finishing stage. If there are stones to be set, claws or bezels have to be filed and shaped to make them fit perfectly. The jeweller has now completed the process. There are other methods that jewellers can use as well but these will be discussed in another article.
Jewelers and Gold Jewelry Jewelers and Gold Jewelry..Never did the archaeologists expect to find amazing evidence of ancient jewelers and gold jewelry in the ruins of this ancient city. The anticipation was building. In the 1920’s Leonard Woolley had been given an assignment from the Pennsylvania Museum to do a thorough investigation of the newly discovered ruins of one of the most ancient cities in the world. Ur in Chaldea, modern Iraq, about 70 km south of Baghdad on the Tigris River. To his disappointment, most of the ancient ruins had been ransacked by thieves. In the words of Woolley from the book: Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. Woolley gives a summary of the tomb of Queen Puabi. Evidence of Jewelers and Gold Jewelry in Ur of the Chaldees (modern Iraq) “In the largest of all the stone-built royal tombs, which had been entered by robbers and most thoroughly plundered, there remained only one corner of the last chamber to be cleared, and we had given up an expectation of any ‘finds.’ Suddenly a loose bit of shell inlay turned up, and the next minute the foreman’s hand, carefully brushing away the earth, laid bare the corner of a mosaic in lapis lazuli and shell.” Evidence of jewelers and Gold Jewelry was staring them in the face. Gold Jewelry dripping from the skeleton of the Princess of Ur Six hundred burial places were uncovered. One of them was an immensely rich tomb that was dripping with gold jewelry. A woman’s handbag made from gold, containing gold makeup implements. A gold and silver dagger was also found made from electrum, a mixture of gold and silver alloys. The dagger had a handle made of a blue stone called lapis lazuli, not unlike the color of blue boulder opal seen at opalmine.com. An intricate Gold Sheath was also discovered. Precious stones with gold and silver jewelry 23 Servants lost their lives when the princess was buried and signs of their remains were in the tomb. There was a fortune in precious stones such as lapis and carnelian. The Queen had a gold band wrapped around her head and attached to it was a frontlet band of lapis lazuli with beads of carnelian and pendants made from gold bands. There was another layer of Gold jewelry consisting of gold beaten into the shape of leaves and inlaid with lapis and a white paste. She also had a comb made of gold and small gold roses and a pair of double Crescent shaped (‘Lunate’ or resembling the new moon) gold earrings. Jewelers and Gold jewelry using beads as fillers, along with other gold implements Her upper body and headdress had multitudes of small lapis and carnelian beads around her neck and as part of the diadem. Other pottery items had been resting near the walls of the chamber for thousands of years, made of gold and other metals. A gold drinking stray was found as well. Ancient Jewelers and gold jewelry from that time would not look out of place today The amazing part about this selection of gold jewelry is that it would not look out of place in the window of a modern ladies department store. Styles of jewelry come and go, but the metals remain and go on and on, taking different shapes throughout the centuries of time but fitting basically into the same framework of pendants, rings, headdresses, bracelets and various types of clothing and hair attachments. Ur was the hometown of the famous patriarch, Abraham, and his wife Sarah, who were asked by God to leave the city and travel up through the Mesopotamian valley in the direction of the Jordan River, which they did, after spending time with relatives in Aram to the north. Thousands of clay tablets have been found, outlining the life and times of people who lived in this era and it has been said that in some cases what happened then has been better documented than other more recent periods of history. It’s certainly true that those amazingly artistic jewelers and the gold jewelry they created is on a par with what is still being made today. Take a look here to see some of the Jewelers and Gold Jewelry from contemporary jewelers not unlike the artisans of the ancient world.
Opals For Sale Opals For Sale: There are about 1000 opals for sale at Opal Mine Opal Jewelry For Sale You can get opals for sale that are already set in jewelry, (or jewellery if you come from the United Kingdom.) Opal rings, pendants, necklaces, brooches, earrings, bracelets, tie tacks, tie bars, cuff links. Opal jewelry for girls and boys, ladies, and gents. Opals set in 9k, 14k,18k yellow, and white gold. Opals set in 925 sterling silver either with silver finish or coated in 24k gold. Special pendant and earring matching sets are available for under $100 set in pure sterling. Unset Opals For Sale Unset opal makes a great choice when looking for opals for sale that you can buy to have set yourself. Maybe you have a favorite jeweler who can design and set opals for you, or you can take advantage of our free design service. Feel free to leave a comment at the end of this page if you want some help in this direction. Even if you have dreamed up some design or shape and you don’t like drawing. Just scan in a rough sketch of your idea and we can help you finish it. Rough Opals For Sale For Lapidarists & Opal Cutters Rough opal from all the major fields of Australia starting from: Coober Pedy Rough Opal for Sale. The South Australian Opal fields produce the most popular type of rough opal, particularly for beginners because it’s less of a challenge to cut. Opal from these mines come in parcels, along with special instructions as to how to process it called White, Milk, or Crystal Opal. You can find out all about these terms if you go to the encyclopedia at opalmine.com You can also get information about how to cut and polish these stones, particularly if you are introducing a young person to this interesting hobby that easily converts into a business. Rough Lightning Ridge Opal For Sale from Western New South Wales Opal fields which produces opal similar to Coober Pedy except that it is usually black or dark in the background instead of white, but these mines also produce a percentage of crystal opal. There are heaps of little parcels of Lightning Ridge Opal for sale on this site Queensland Rough Boulder Opal For Sale. This is an entirely different kind of opal that is cut out of very large boulder ironstones and the only way to buy this without risk is to make sure it has been cleaned out of the mother rock so that you can see where the color is. There are lots of little parcels not so expensive to start off with.
Queen of Gems and Gem of Queens Queen of Gems and Gem of Queens: Mystifying Opal! Flickering with sparkling blue, aqua, green, red or yellow, is awesome in its eerie beauty. It is the only precious stone having the natural ability to split or diffract the light falling onto it. This makes its optical properties unique. People sometimes do not realize that opal is often more precious than diamonds. How Do You Get A Precious Opal? Opal is usually found in cavities or cracks of rocks, in the outback of Australia. It is totally fascinating to see the amazing colors released from their thousand-year-old prisons, by the artistic gem cutter who knows just where to slice the virgin stone without wasting precious gems. What Makes opal Jewelry Unique? The shades and patterns in this rainbow gem cuddle almost every tinge of imaginable color. Every opal stone reveals a different color blush making it truly exclusive and spectacular to look at. This unique feature makes it one of the most magnificent and collectible gemstones in the world at present. Its distinctive and captivating qualities are making it the first choice of fashion enthusiasts, looking for a stunning and fascinating adjunct to their chosen outfits. Unlike other gemstones, Opal gleams in its natural state, without human interference, and thus often it is set in jewelry as it is. It can also be polished and shaped according to the creative ability of the cutter. And the amazing thing about this stone is that it can cater to anyone’s pocket. You can buy a genuine Australian Opal from the minimal range of $20. Or you can pay many thousands of dollars for a collector’s piece such as “Butterfly” or the “Red Robin” but the cheaper ones also can give a comparable gleam and spectacular look. Because opals are all different, you can match the stone’s pattern and color to your favorite outfit. The Black Opal – King of Queens Though at one time being almost unknown because of its young history opal jewelry has attained a huge following by people fascinated by its luminosity and exquisiteness as a jewelry piece. The black opal, for example, is the most recent variety discovered by miners, many of whom came from Europe and other parts of the world in search of Gold and freedom in this vast continent. People could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the complete contrast between the light colored opals that had been introduced to Europe from the ancient Hungarian mines. Opal – The Most Interactive Gemstone When these magnificent pieces are adorned in jewelry, the completed creative picture unfolds. From pendants to rings, earrings, necklaces, cuff-links and bracelets, silver and gold opal pieces of jewelry have enthralled not just ladies, but gents as well. As time goes by and people break away from the old traditions, young and old are becoming increasingly attracted to a stone that not only displays all the colors of the rainbow but features ‘activity’ within itself as the patterns move and color changes from one hue to another. Comparing the opal to other colorful gems is like seeing the difference between a snapshot and a video movie. These multi-hued gemstones are praiseworthy and enviable additions to your jewelry collection.
Real Opal jewelry Real Opal jewelry well, that’s an expression that immediately raises a question. Are we saying that there are some types of opal jewelry that are NOT real? That is the opal stone itself is not a natural one out of the ground! Yes, that’s exactly what we are saying. You see, along with a lot of smart things that people who work in a laboratory have done, a way has been found to mimic nature in regard to opal and many other gemstones. Many years ago an attempt was made to create the amazing colors of opal by using plastic with crinkled colored paper in the background and to the novice, it looked pretty good. But at a second glance, you could see that the amazing change of patterns and colors that you get in Real opal was just not there. In recent years though, with the advances in science some pretty good imitations have been fabricated to the point that, unless you are an expert, there is no way of telling whether the stone is real or not How to know whether you are getting Real Opal jewelry or a synthetic? The first and most obvious test is the price! If you are being offered a really nice looking stone at a ridiculous price, suspicions should be roused immediately. The first thing to do is ask the seller right away whether its real opal jewelry or man-made. If he or she is unsure, don’t go any further. If they say its real and you are still suspicious because of the price or even if its quite expensive, the best idea is to take a picture of it or send us the website if its online and Peter, our resident opal cutter will check. Just send a message in the blog at the bottom of this page and Peter will be in touch. Or you can leave a message on the box on the front page of this site But how about if you are struggling financially? Well, if you are in this category you are not alone. Quite apart from the recent international economic downturn, there have always been heaps of poor people who have to count their pennies every time they buy a loaf of bread. This is often not of their doing. They could be really industrious people who because of circumstances, perhaps marriage breakups, or being owed a lot of money, or just in a very difficult social situation where most folks are really poor, have no spare cash to spend on luxuries like jewelry. Does this mean if you are struggling, you can’t enjoy some of life’s little jewelry luxuries Not at all. Real Opal Jewelry can be interpreted a lot of ways nowadays. In old times you had to be rich to own anything that looked pretty but nowadays Real opals are processed in such a way You can buy Real Opal jewelry on this opalmine site for as little as $30. Even less for smaller pendants. Real gemstones are possible too even if you are struggling. But it IS nice to own some good jewelry that is natural even if it’s only to flash them in front of your friends and make them a bit jealous. Take Opals for example. Opal is one of the only gemstones which cater for all types of pockets. Opal can be manufactured in such a way that you can have a stone that is not expensive but is still a real, natural, gem. This is because opal comes in such a large variety of colors, shades, depths, and values. Take a look at these pendants and talk to us if you want more information. For example, solid white opal from Coober Pedy in South Australia is a stone that is quite opaque, that is the color sits on the surface of the stone. This makes it a much cheaper gemstone in the eyes of the opal merchants, and yet a very large proportion of people just love the more delicate features of this cheaper opal gem. a summary of ancient jewelry Black opal is often not for the poor And yet, the same features of a black opal can be duplicated by merely cutting the white or crystal opal thinner and setting it in a black background with a crystal cap to protect it. (as illustrated in the pics) Some of these much cheaper stones, even really large ones can be purchase already set in precious silver for under $100 and they look like something worth $5000 and more. Real Opal jewelry can ad “sparkle” to life So you can see that Real Opal jewelry, is not always the possession of the rich. Most folks can enjoy its beauty and add a little more “sparkle” to life. Take a look at opalmine.com. Particularly the section specializing in lower-priced Real Opal jewelry.