February 07, 2014
Black opal and 18ct gold hand-carved ring
Opals reflect light in an almost magical way. Black opals, like this one, are the most brilliant and are characterised by flashes of vivid greens and blues. Every opal is different, and when a particularly spectacular one comes our way we find it very hard to resist.
More often than not opals are irregularly shaped stones, cut to reveal the stunning colours of the stone rather than to conform to perfect proportions.
This is a recently finished ring designed to accommodate the shape of this stone which had a curved lower surface, making it an interesting job to set.
Hand carved in wax and then cast in 18-carat yellow gold the ring’s fluid form and the rich colour of the gold perfectly complement the stone.
The hand carved form is one we’ve adapated to use with many different stones in the past. Below are some sketches showing an earlier commission for an 18-carat yellow gold and mint green tourmaline ring. We have experimented with various sizes, stones and angles of setting and each time we make a ring of this type we develop the form to suit the stone.
We love the opulence of black opal and yellow gold and this is one of our favourite pieces to date - we'll be very sad to see it go!
More often than not opals are irregularly shaped stones, cut to reveal the stunning colours of the stone rather than to conform to perfect proportions.
This is a recently finished ring designed to accommodate the shape of this stone which had a curved lower surface, making it an interesting job to set.
Hand carved in wax and then cast in 18-carat yellow gold the ring’s fluid form and the rich colour of the gold perfectly complement the stone.
The hand carved form is one we’ve adapated to use with many different stones in the past. Below are some sketches showing an earlier commission for an 18-carat yellow gold and mint green tourmaline ring. We have experimented with various sizes, stones and angles of setting and each time we make a ring of this type we develop the form to suit the stone.
We love the opulence of black opal and yellow gold and this is one of our favourite pieces to date - we'll be very sad to see it go!
