A customer has a specific request and I’m hoping you all could share
your sources! She has an old setting that once held a 1 carat
diamond that is looking to update a bit. She wants a 6.5mm round fire
opal and wants it to be bright orange (not bright red, pale yellow,
etc.). She is (of course) looking to find it as inexpensively as
possible. There are so many sources out there and I haven’t purchased
fire opal before so don’t have a specific person to turn to. Any
recommendations?
I’m not at all sure that what she has in mind is practable. Opals are
very fragile and it is not a good idea to the sort of claw mount that
would be used for a diamond. Opal should be mounted in some sort of
bezel mount and on a ring preferably recessed to protect the stone.
To do this you would be more or less making a new piece of jewellery.
Is this for a ring? Pure opal (not doublets or triplets) in a ring
is not a good idea. Too soft.
She requested a Mexican Fire Opal for a ring. It’s her mother’s
antique wedding ring, orange is her favorite color and she has a
special connection with Mexico. I explained to her that she will have
to be especially careful with it and that it likely won’t stay in
perfect condition but she was adamant about what she wanted. She said
she wanted to take the chance so I’m giving her what she wants. I
would have preferred to at least set it in a bezel but she wanted to
keep the integrity of the original design. We’ll see what happens!
I think you should describe the stone you want in more detail. The
proper definition of “Fire Opal” is an opal of fiery orange color. A
fire opal does not have to have any “play of color” to be a fire
opal. In other words, a fire opal with no fire is perfectly normal.
So, are you looking for an orange colored opal that may or may not
have play of color? Or are you looking for an opal with play of
color?
I think you should describe the stone you want in more detail. The
proper definition of "Fire Opal" is an opal of fiery orange color.
A fire opal does not have to have any "play of color" to be a fire
opal.
I believe that I remember from G.I.A. colored stone course (1977)
fire opal can be either orange or red, transparent, and play of
color or not.
You’re right that I should have been more specific from the
beginning. I needed a Mexican fire opal and found exactly what she
wanted. I recommended everything from citrine to sapphire to her to
capture the feeling she was looking for but no matter what I said she
was dead set on that Mexican fire opal. It’s going to look
beautiful…I don’t know how long it will last but I know that she
will love every second she has with it. I guess that’s how she is
looking at it!