Behind The Gems: Opal Flowers

 

You know opals: their iridescent appearance makes jewellery truly mesmerising.

But did you know they could be fashioned into dainty and subtle pieces as well?

“Behind The Gems” is a long-running monthly series that takes you on an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of our signature collections.

And this week, we’re taking a closer look at opals…

About Opals

Opals are renowned for their complex and intriguing, multicoloured iridescence.

With a colour range spanning the entire rainbow, they’re the ultimate attention grabbers.

Fun fact: opal is also Australia's national gemstone. The time we spent living in Australia has given us a special affinity to opals and their unique beauty.

The Design Process

Baselworld (organised each spring in the city of Basel, Switzerland) is one of the biggest jewellery and watch trade shows in Europe.

Most people attend Baselworld to see high-end pieces from the major brands, but we go to shop for materials. So, naturally, this is our favourite time of year!

We can find everything we can think of inside, from pearl importers and diamond dealers to chain manufacturers.

Two years ago, we stumbled across a German company that specialises in stone carving and we fell in love with the beautifully muted tones of their opal flowers. Simply put, we HAD to get them.

And there was an instant vision for them: delicate necklaces and earring pendants.

The Finished Pieces

This vision came to life just as we imagined: a pink opal pendant on a yellow gold chain that accentuates its warmth and a white opal pendant on a 18ct white gold for a cooler look.

Pink Opal Bellflower Necklace

 

White Opal Bellflower Necklace

The earring pendants, which were also white opal flowers, were sold before we had the chance to photograph them. However, we plan to complete the set with a new pair of beautiful white opal earrings.

To Be Continued…

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