Do Opals Make Good Engagement Rings?

Image Source: Sotheby's

Modern brides look for ways to make their wedding a memorable, unique event, from black decorations to naked cakes, donut bars, and former barns. More and more women identify themselves as alternative or unconventional brides, looking to steer away from traditional choices. Being creative on your wedding theme is a fun way to add your personal touch. However, when deciding on an engagement ring style, diamonds are still the indisputable top choice.

Looking For An Alternative Engagement Ring? Explore Fancy Yellow Diamonds.

Have you ever wondered what is it that makes diamonds suitable for a ring you are meant to wear daily for the rest of your life? Why not go for another stone? It's true, there are plenty of beautiful fine gems out there in an impressive array of different colors. For example, opals can display all rainbow colors on their polished surface. They look very different from diamonds. Most are inexpensive, but are they a good alternative gemstone for an engagement ring?

IN THIS POST, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

•   What Are Opals: Origins And Characteristics.

•   Are Opals A Good Gemstone For An Engagement Ring?

•   Do Opal Engagement Rings Last?

•   Can Water Ruin Opal Jewelry?

•   Do Opals Bring Bad Luck?

An Introduction to Opals

Opals are the product of rains that saturated dry ground, carrying dissolved silica. When dry periods came, much of this water evaporated, leaving solid silica deposits underground. These deposits are found in places like Australia, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Brazil.

Opals are typically polished as a cabochon, with a flat back and a convex top. Together with tourmaline, opal is the October birthstone, meaning opal jewelry makes an excellent gift for Libras and some Scorpios.

Learn More: October Birthstones

The distinctive flashes of colors from precious opal remind of a galaxy, fireworks, or a kaleidoscope. This effect is what draws most people to opal jewelry. This unique color blaze is called play-of-color and is caused by the diffraction of light by microscopic silica spheres.

Not all opals are equal, and depending on their characteristics, they can belong to one of the following types:

•   White opal: They can be translucent or semi-translucent, with a milky base color.

•   Black opal: Tend to be more opaque, with a black or dark base color.

•   Fire opal: Often found in Mexico, they are transparent to translucent, with brown, yellow, orange, or red body color.

•   Boulder opal: Translucent to opaque, with a light to dark body color. They carry fragments of the surrounding rock.

•   Crystal or water opal: Transparent to semitransparent, with a clear body. This type of opal displays incredible play-of-color.

Do Opals Make Good Engagement Rings?

In ancient Rome, opals were considered symbols of hope and love. It was believed they harnessed the powers of all gemstones as they had the green color of emeralds, the red of rubies, the blue of sapphires, and the purple of amethysts combined together. From prophecy to protection against disease, opals were long regarded as good luck talismans. But their reputation was challenged in the 1800s when the misinterpretation of a novel's passage led many people to believe opals were related to witchcraft and brought bad luck to the wearer.

Opal jewelry is certainly making a comeback. Although they make a beautiful addition to your jewelry box, we refrain from using opals for engagement rings—and this has nothing to do with superstition.

5 Reasons To Not Get An Opal Engagement Ring

1. Opals Are Too Soft

Opals rank a little low on the Mohs scale. With a hardness between 5.5 and 6, opals are more vulnerable to damage. If you drop your opal jewelry or accidentally hit it, your gem can crack, chip or break. Perhaps that's where the bad luck belief really originated from.

2. Hot or Dry Conditions Can Damage Opals

​Besides the risk of breakage, you also have to be careful about extreme weather. Opals can contain up to 20% water, so rapid changes in temperature or wearing your opal ring in very dry or hot conditions can cause damage to the stone.

3. Water Can Ruin Your Opals

​Opals are quite porous stones and they can absorb water, which gives the stone a foggy look. Prolonged water or humidity exposure can cause permanent damage.

4. Opals Are Harder To Maintain

Never use an ultrasonic cleaner for your opal jewelry, as the vibrations are strong enough to cause a crack. The safest way to clean your opal is with a soft, damp cloth. Remember the October birthstone is porous and soft, so avoid any rough fabrics. For storing, make sure to keep your opal jewelry in its own box or pouch, as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires are just some of the stones that can easily scratch your opal.

An engagement ring is meant to last a lifetime or become an heirloom and be passed on for generations. Opals are great for earrings, necklaces, and cocktail rings. Still, it's better to avoid them for daily wear on the hands as the risk of damage is especially high if you have an active lifestyle.

Why Are Diamonds Used In Engagement Rings?

The promise of eternal love is also about making it through good and bad. In a way, choosing a diamond mimics this feeling; despite its delicate, glimmering look, a diamond can withstand the wear and tear of everyday life and will stay with you forever.

With a score of 10 on the Mohs scale, diamonds are the hardest mineral known to man. They are four times as hard as rubies and sapphires. Hardness is one of the attributes that makes diamonds ideal for engagement rings. It translates into them being scratch-resistant and extremely durable.

The market for diamonds is also more regulated than that of semi-precious gemstones. Diamond engagement rings often come with the option to add a laboratory report to certify their authenticity and specify the color, cut, and clarity grades that make them valuable. This gives the buyer peace of mind as they don't have to worry about their investment having imitation stones or counterfeits.

Diamonds sparkle, they don't get foggy or change their color over time, they are the hardest mineral and are low maintenance when compared to other gemstones.

If you have your heart set on a more unique stone for your engagement ring, like ruby or sapphire, contact us today. We can source practically any gemstone for your engagement ring. Choose one of our settings, or create a completely custom ring.