A Gem So Unique, Every Piece of Jewelry Is One of a Kind

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Full of fiery inner life and ever-changing colors, opals are singular among gemstones: Unlike sapphires and other crystalline gems, the stone is opaque, and its tiny specks of silica produce kaleidoscopic hues.

Opals “produce brilliant streaks of iridescent color when turned in the light,” says jeweler Gurhan Orhan. The optical effect is “created when light passes through microscopic spheres of silica and diffracts to break up into the colors of the spectrum.” Each stone has its own pattern; no two are alike. That’s another part of their appeal—and why many of our selections here are one of a kind.

“Opals are really seductive, especially for gemologists,” says Laurie Brookins, a writer and fine jewelry expert. “It’s difficult to match opals because each is unique.”

According to Will Kahn, market director of fine jewelry at Moda Operandi Inc., “opals are having a huge moment.” He says they “were pushed into the spotlight by Irene Neuwirth,” the lauded Los Angeles-based designer. Kahn prefers opal jewelry in a “layered casual style, the bohemian-chic look perfected by designers like Jacquie Aiche, Neuwirth, and Andrea Fohrman.”

It takes at least 5 million years for Australian opal to form from natural silica deposits in the Earth. In contrast to lab-grown diamonds and sapphires, opals offer distinctive qualities that can’t be mass-produced. “Opals are bossy—they tell you what you need to do with them,” says designer Monica Rich Kosann about working with the stone.

After more than 10 years of using opals in her jewelry, Kosann says they “find their mamas. When you put an opal on a woman, if it’s the right match, it just lights up.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gaddy at jgaddy@bloomberg.net, Chris Rovzar

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.