black opal brooch

Opals are one of my favourite gemstones for setting in jewellery and so I am delighted that not only are they the Birthstone for October but Opals are also the Birthstone for Libra and so I can claim them for my own even having a birthday in late September.

Opals are commonly seen in a milky white colour with sparkles of green, blue, red and ( less commonly black). Most Opals are from Australia.

In history Opals have has a chequered reputation. Originally they stood for Hope, Purity and innocence. In the middle ages they though that opals had the powers of every gemstone where the colour was found in that opal. So an opal with green in also had the power of an emerald and one with red or blue had the powers of rubies or sapphires. Hence the more colours in an opal the more powerful and sought after it was.

  In the Victorian era there was a famous Novel written by Sir Walter Scott in which an enchanted opal causes the death of a baroness. This seems to have been the beginning of the opals reputaion for bad luck and death. In otherwords its poor reputaiton stems from a Victorian novel and I like to think of it more in the traditional medieval way as having multiple powers.

Here are a few pieces of vintage jewellery set with opals available from antiquesavenue:

Black opal brooch

There is a super oval black opal set into this 9 carat gold brooch. The hallmarks date it to the 1980s. The opal is a doublet

Edwardian opal heart brooch

What a beautiful  brooch, It is  is set with a heart shaped opal. It is marked as 9 ct gold

Opal ring

This vintage ring is made of fully hallmarked nine carat gold and set high with a real opal which measures about 1 cm long. The hallmarks date this ring to vintage 1980s. It is in really excellent clean condition

UK ring size O, USA ring size 7.25

opal pendant

Birthstone Jewellery always makes a popualr present. If you know someone with a September Birthday the stone to buy is the blue Sapphire set into a piece of vintage jewellery. Remember if you buy a piece of sapphire set vintage jewellery it is the most unique gift as you rarely ever find two piece of vintage jewellery the same.

The Sapphire is the official birthstone for the month of September as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also one of the birth stones for the Zodiac signs of Pisces, Taurus, Virgo and Sagittarius.

Sapphire earrings

Sapphire is the non-red variety of corundum class of gemstone (the red variety of corundum is ruby). A 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral. Only diamond is harder, thus making sapphire a very wearable stone.

Sapphires with inclusions of tiny, rutile needles exhibit an optical property called asterism. This is the star shaped effect seen in star sapphires and is usually only seen in cabochon cuts.
Star sapphires usually have six ray stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Rarely, when sapphires are cut en cabochon, they can demonstrate a cat’s eye effect. This effect displays a thin band of light down the center of the stone and is known as chatoyancy.

Sources: India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa.

sapphire ring

Hardness & Toughness: Sapphire’s hardness is exceeded only by that of diamond – and the diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth! Thanks to that hardness, and excellent toughness, sapphires are easy to look after, requiring no more than the usual care on the part of the wearer. Care and Cleaning: Warm soapy water is usually considered best, but the ultra-sonic and steam-cleaner are generally considered to be safe.

AntiquesAvenue shop always has a nice selection of Sapphire Vintage Jewellery for you to buy for that September present and if you dont know anyone else I would like a large Sapphire for my birthday later this month ( hint, hint)

Birthstone Jewellery is a popular gift. Buying a present for someone with an August Birthday? If so then look for a piece set with a Peridot gemstone. Peridots are also the gemstone for the astrological sign of Leo ( 23 July to 22 August) and is sometimes given as a alternative gift for a 16 year wedding anniversary gift.

The Peridot is a lime green or bright yellow green colour. Naturally occiring gemstone found in Burma, China and the USA. The green colour is due to traces of Iron in the gemstone

Traditionally the peridot has  been said to bring Love, Loyalty and Success. It enhances growth and prosperity and has even been said to ward off evil. One tradition has it that when a Peridot is set in gold it will ward off night terrors. 

The alternative gemstone for August is the Sardonyx, an opaque form of quartz.

From time to time AntiquesAvenue has pieces of peridot jewellery for sale like this peridot set daisy charm or these peridot and amethyst earrings:

peridot daisy charm

peridot earrings