Here we have a one of a kind handmade natural pinfire Australian white opal ring in solid 14K gold circa 1970.
The design here is all about showcasing the astonishing precious untreated natural Australian opal. True to modernist inspiration of the period such as brutalism and biomorphic design the gold has been hand worked into striking almost melted asymmetrical shapes to me reminiscent of coral. Unlike so many of these pieces this ring was custom made it is completely handmade and not cast as you would normally see with such a complex and beautiful gold setting. The workmanship is simply put astonishing. Not surprising this effort was made by the artist who manufactured this unique piece as the opal is exceptionally fine and rare.
What makes this opal so special is the very fine highly saturated sparks of intense color that cover the whole top of the cabochon. Every color of the rainbow is present here and of course there is lots of red which makes opal more so intensely valuable and rare! The play of color is not directional but rather can be seen every which way you view the opal. In direct light there are layers of rainbow sparks you can see and in lower lighting levels you see intense sparks on the surface. It does quite take your breath away. The opal here is a one of a kind piece this exact play of color and pattern cannot be replaced with another opal ever- there is just one like this! Every way I turned this precious gem the play of color astonished me- at one angle intense sparks of yellow and another a solar system appears in bright reds and then small intense splashes of blue and violet appear in the rainbow of colors like a beautiful bouquet of blooms.
Opal such as this is almost mined out in Australia. Gems such as this are rare indeed especially in such a large size, the vibrant play of color occurring intensely across the surface with the original seam of plain white opal behind it make this rare opal durable and perfect for a wear every day opal ring. It is solid white opal.
The precious opal weighs 4.29 carats as estimated in the setting. This is a huge size for this intense play of color and this type of pattern. The opal measures approximately 18.0mm by 10.0mm by 3.7mm
The ring is a size 7 and can be resized somewhat. Please ask.
It weighs approximately 5.8 grams.
Now the beautiful setting does make a huge splash on the hand. It measures approximately 13/16" side to side by 5/8" long and has a low rise of just 1/4" making it ideal for everyday wear (21.3mm x 16.5mm x 6.0mm).
This ring is in beautiful condition being ready to gift or to wear. Really this one is one for the opal connoisseur!
An Appraisal is included with your purchase of this ring
We will ship in a presentation box for safe keeping and ready for gifting.
The photos form part of the description of this piece. When you see this ring in person the play of color will look different outside, inside and in every lighting condition and in every angle! That is the beauty of course of this exceptionally rare natural gemstone. We do our very best to show every piece accurately in our listings and take photos in daylight equivalent lighting conditions.
