This is a truly pretty necklace. The hand-carved opal rose pendant is a highly detailed and fully three dimensional (the back is a leaf). The rose itself is a soft blush pink and is surrounded by intricately carved daisy like flowers in translucent grey. The large quartz beads have a faint pinkish tinge that picks up the rose (and unfortunately doesn’t show in the photo). Banded grey silver leaf jasper picks up on the grey in the pendant, while large gold vermeil pumpkin beads add flash and contrast. Simply gorgeous!
The pendant is hand-carved from a single piece of pink Australian opal. Pink opal is a common opal, and lacks the “fire” that most people associate with opals. The clasp is gold vermeil and imported from Bali. The necklace is hand-knotted on grey silk and is about 17.5 inches long, including the clasp.
Disclosure: Please note that the display mannequin in the photo is about half-human scale; the necklace has been draped around the back of the mannequin to simulate how the necklace would hang. Please refer to the other photos for a picture of the entire necklace and an indication of scale. Like all silk knotted necklaces, care should be taken not to get this necklace wet, and it should be stored flat: silk will stretch over time. Like all of my jewelry, this necklace is not intended for use by persons under 13.
About the stones:
OPAL: Opal is a mineraloid silica gel and contains 5-10% water. There are many kinds of opal. Most familiar are the precious opals, which display multicolored “fire”; a play of light within the stone. However, there are also a wide range of “common” opals that come in a wide range of colors. Some fossils are also made of opal as the silica gel replaces organic matter in dead plants or animals. Opal should not be kept in extremely dry conditions, as it can dry out and crack. It is a very soft stone, with a Mohs hardness of 5, and should always be handled with care and kept away from dramatic temperature changes.
JASPER: Jasper is a form of quartz (silicon dioxide) and is a member of the chalcedony family. Jasper is an opaque and fine grained stone and comes in a rainbow of patterns and colors. It is a hard, with a Mohs hardness of 7.
QUARTZ: Quartz is silicon dioxide and is the second most common mineral in the earth’s crust. Many popular gemstones are forms of quartz, such as amethyst, carnelian, jasper and agate. Imagine a color or pattern, and there is probably a quartz to match. It is a hard mineral and takes a very good polish. White quartz, the most common variety, is sometimes called “snow quartz” or “milky quartz.”
