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[wampidy]

I was going to take a ring that I have to a jeweler and have him take out the smoky quartz stone then mount the largest Welo opal I have. Couldn't stand it so I mounted it myself. Easy peasy but I was pretty nervous about breaking the opal. It is amazing that I cut and polished an opal without realizing that I had a ring that it would fit into almost perfectly.

Here is what I ended up with. I took about 40 photos trying to get the colors but did not have a lot of luck. The stone is not quite as hazy looking in hand. Difficult stone to photograph.







Thanks for lookin. Hope you like it as much as I do.
Jim

[Phishisgroovin]

thats killer!
one of my favorites is opals, just cost too much.

[Phishisgroovin]

i really like Brazilian Opal as its a bit harder than ethiopians and i dont do any doublets 

[hummingbirdstones]

Excellent job, Jim!  That's a beauty.  Try photographing it a jar or container with water in it.  Sometimes that helps to see the fire better.  I don't know why, but I've seen it work.

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Yeah, great stone and great looking ring. Opal is tougher than most people think. Will definitely chip or crack if you push those prongs a little too much, but you obviously have a good feel for when the prongs are tight enough.

Anyone who works with opal long enough will eventually have one that doesn't survive the process, but that's just part of the deal. The good ones will more than make up for the heartbreakers in the long run.

Thanks for posting this one!

[Neural]

That is a beautiful stone!   Glad that you were able to mount it as you wanted to.  It's nice when things are sized just right :)

[sealdaddy]

Very Nice, my friend   

[lithicbeads]

The color looks nicely balanced in that stone and that is not often the case.

[wampidy]

Thanks for all the compliments and advice. It is all welcome.

I will try the jar trick maybe. I kind of hate to put it back in water now that it has been dry for so long. I keep it in a little glass jar with a tight lid so the up and down humidity doesn't work on it.
Jim

[hummingbirdstones]

Truth.  Forgot when I said it that it was a Welo.   

[sealdaddy]

where did you get the ring to mount it on?.....I like it too   

[Neural]

Anyone who works with opal long enough will eventually have one that doesn't survive the process.

I can attest to that.  Just wish the stone that gave up on me wasn't the one with Chinese Writing.

[hummingbirdstones]

Jon!

I remember that stone.  Just too bad it had a lot of clay in it.     'Twas a really nice crystal nobby if not for that.

[wampidy]

where did you get the ring to mount it on?.....I like it too   

Late to the party again but I am not normal.

The ring was given to me several years ago to cover a debt for something illegal. For all I know it could have been stolen but with the smoky quartz stone it couldn't have been worth much. I did manage to sell that stone for five bucks though so I am happy all around. I think pawn shops would be a good place to look for rings with bad stones. I don't think very many pawn people do rocks but I have been wrong before.
Jim

[Helene Fielder]

From what I hear opals are tricky to cut.  Yours has some great fire.