HERE'S A SIMPLE GUIDE TO HELP YOU CHOOSE YOUR OPAL
While not all opals are purchased for jewelry, opal is a precious gemstone that lends itself well to being set in rings, pendants, necklaces, or bracelets, as well as earrings or cufflinks. OpaleMio offers a method to refine your search and easily find your favorite gemstone. Once you've set your budget, the choice remains vast. Here are some helpful questions to help you choose your opal.
Want a natural opal?
What's your favorite color?
What type of opal do you like?
What jewel will it be set in?
Which cutting shape do you prefer?
Is a small but very bright opal better or a larger one with soft colors?
Want a natural opal?
If you're looking for a natural opal, then you've come to the right place. OpaleMio offers only natural solid opals.
What's your favorite color?
Everyone has a favorite color. It's truly amazing how many colors an opal can contain, with a transition from one color to another through all the shades in between. You're sure to find yours too!
What type of opal do you like?
The body tone of an opal can be light, dark, or transparent. The colors stand out more on a dark background than on a light or transparent background.
What jewel will it be set in?
You've probably already thought about the jewelry you want to set your next opal in. This is crucial because all opals can be set in jewelry. However, some gems are better suited to a ring, others to a pendant or necklace.
Which cutting shape do you prefer?
Some people prefer classic regular shapes, such as cabochon or oval, while others prefer free-form or irregular shapes. Then there are less common shapes, such as the drop, round, cushion, baguette, triangular, and shuttle cut. Virtually all shapes are suitable for setting, once the design has been decided upon. For the latter, it's useful to consider that opal displays its colors best when set in a basket with prongs, thus gathering more light. For this reason, we recommend, wherever possible, choosing gold settings, as this metal is less ductile than silver.
Opal lovers generally prefer simple, clean settings where the gem takes center stage. However, even here, the imagination can run wild by setting other colored stones such as rubies, emeralds, topazes, diamonds, etc., which echo the opal's colors and enhance them even more.
Is a small but very bright opal better or a larger one with soft colors?
As for size, it's generally helpful to keep in mind that, once mounted, a small but bright opal will be more visible than a larger but less bright one. To better understand the size, we recommend drawing the outline of the opal on a piece of paper using the measurements provided in the opal's data sheet. Naturally, the thicker the opal, the greater the effect of the colors on the gem.
Another truly unique aspect of opals is their pattern, or the distribution of colors across the gem's surface, from tiny speckles to larger or smaller patches. Some gems have the play of color visible from the front, others only from the side.
Thanks to its unique characteristics, opal is a source of delight for the eyes, an excellent worry-free distraction that combats the greyness of winter days.
For this reason, many people prefer to set opal in a ring, so they can always see the unique play of colors it offers.
What matters most is that the chosen gem must be pleasing!
