Opal Jewellery

As an engagement ring, opals are a perfect representation of love and fire within your relationship. No two opals are the same, so when choosing an opal for your engagement ring you truly are getting a one-of-a-kind, original piece.

Throughout much of history, opals were believed to be good luck. The Romans thought that opals were one of the luckiest gemstones and a symbol of hope. Queen Victoria was also a lover of opal, wearing opals throughout her 19th Century reign and owned a fine personal collection. Our family has been dealing with opals for over 45 years and it has brought nothing but good luck to us.

While opals are not as hard as other kinds of gemstones, they are still durable. Opals are about the same hardness as glass. On the Mohs hardness scale, they are 6.5 out of 10. 

Look closely at the pattern. An opal created in a laboratory (Gilson opal) displays bright colours in large patches of colour. The pattern is often ‘too perfect’ and ordered. It can also often display a ‘snakeskin’ like pattern.

The value of an opal is determined by the colour and brightness of the stone. Following that, we look at the size and weight of the opal. Opal price can very from about $10 per carat to approximately $25,000 per carat.

Black opal with red is the most rare and highly valued form of opal. Black opal naturally has a black (or dark) body tone. Black opals come in every colour of the rainbow, but red is the most elusive and hardest to find.

It takes about 5 to 6 million years to make a 1 cm opal mature. It is believed that 30 million years ago the chemical compound silica was released into a solution which filled cracks in the rocks, layers in clay, and even some fossils. Some of them became precious opals. 

Thanks to our history, and the relationships John Ryneš and son Mike have formed with miners over the years, miners come to us directly to sell their rough opal/stones. Our exclusive stone collection has been assembled over decades, and we have stones you just can’t find anywhere else.