Description
This is a top grade strand of faceted Australian opal with 18k beads and clasp. The opal displays both dark and light blues, a good amount of green with minor amounts of pale magenta and even red. This is opal is from Lightning Ridge and it is clean and glassy. One characteristic of Lightning Ridge is that it is referred to as “black opal” and the background color of the base material can be gray. This typically doesn’t show up in bright light where only the colors show through but may be apparent in low or subdued light. For more information on opal follow the link below.
Opal strands like this are suitable for casual wear but it is something that can be dressed up as well for a night out at a special event. Australian opal most often has less color than it’s Ethiopian cousin but it is much rarer and typically more expensive. If you can find another strand like this it will cost you twice the price.
Opal is particularly hard to photograph as the color it displays is not actually contained in the stone itself but a function of the light that is diffracted as it passes thru the stone. The play of color that we see is a function of structure of the material and will vary depending upon the type of light it is exposed to as well as the angle from which it is viewed. I photograph these strands in natural sunlight and do not make adjustments or enhancements to color.
The rondelle beads in this strand range from approx. 5 mm down to 3 mm. It is strung on a high-strength material called Spectra. It is 10-15 times stronger than steel yet flexible and light weight. This material allows your necklace to move and feel like it was strung on silk but it is much stronger and very abrasion resistant so it will most likely never have to be re-strung.
Learn more about Opal at this link.