Opal Engagement Rings - Tips and Ideas

Opal rings are favored as engagement rings as colours bewitchingly appear and disappear to the thrall of the wearer. The gemstone was known from ancient times for its supposedly magical properties.

Heart-seeker

The Greeks considered it as a prophetic stone. According to ancient legend, the Roman senator Nonius elected to choose exile rather than to sell his opal stone to the Roman General Mark Anthony. The General wanted it as his gift to the famed beauty and Egyptian Pharoah Cleopatra.

Opal is known for its intoxicating colours. It is said that no opal stone completely resembles any other in the world. The colours of every opal are unique and exciting. Opal is considered as a harbinger of great fortune.

A Piece of Stunning Distinctiveness

Many couples choose opal as a mark of distinctiveness and to move away from the traditional diamond ring. Since opal is soft, it is supported by a disk to impart protection and showcase the fire within.

White and black opals are known for their stunning sampling of colours. The eye catching fire inside the stone can be made stunningly beautiful if great work is done on it. However, since opal is much softer compared to diamonds (5 or 6 on the Mohs scale compared to the 10 of diamond) and almost equal to glass, the stones need better care to prevent it from being scratched or chipped. It is recommended that tap water be used for cleaning the stone.

The Australian black opal and white fire opal are two of the more popular options for opal engagement rings.

Tips to Help You Select an Opal Ring

If you are choosing for a man, select the bezel or “rub over” setting. The rub over settings protect the opal stone. Gold is molded to form a thin bezel which covers and follows the stone edge, thus protecting the stone from impact and also ensure that the stone remains securely in place.

Boulder opal is sturdier. Queensland boulder opal is comparatively more robust due to its backing of hard natural ironstone and is perfect as an engagement opal ring. Other suitable opals are white opals, crystal opals and black opals. Another advantage of boulder opals is that they allow for more creativity in design. It is advisable to buy a stone which has a low carbochon (dome on top). Stones with high carbochon are more susceptible to impact damage.

In a sentence opals can make for stunning engagement rings, if you make the correct choice and treat the stone with care.