Newsletter - September 17, 2008

The Jewelry Crafter

A newsletter for the home jeweler

This newsletter will be published every 2 weeks, and will include hints and tips for your jewelry business. Any feedback or comments about the topics presented here are always appreciated. Click here to e-mail us.

If you have an idea for an upcoming article, or would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please contact us. Anyone who submits an article will receive a permanent link to their website in a special section of our link pages.

New Stock Update

We have just received a shipment of opal triplets from Australia. Sizes include 9x7, 8x10, 10x12 and 10x14. All are dark base and show beautiful color. These will move fast, so shop early for best selection

We also now have the Quasar LED Optivisor light. This system provides great lighting for close-up work, and fits right over the lens on your Optivisor.

Finally, we also have a limited selection of new porcelain horse cameos.

Stop by and check out all of the new items at Custom Jewelry Supply.

Opal Doublets and Triplets

by

Mary Harvey

Opals are beautiful gemstones. The flashes of fire, the beautiful color play, these gems are much sought after for jewelry. While they are beautiful, solid opals can be quite a challenge for the home jeweler to work with. Opal has the reputation of being brittle, and needing special care. But if you really want to make affordable jewelry with opal, there are alternatives.

Opal comes in three basic types – solid, doublet, and triplet. Solid opal is the most expensive. The color layer in the rough opal is usually very thin, and must be cut so that the stone “faces” the correct way to show off the best play of color. It also has to be cut thick enough to give the stone stability to avoid stress cracking. These stones usually have to be set in a way to protect the edges from chipping. Solid opal can yield some incredible color when cut correctly.

A more affordable type of opal is the doublet. Basically, a very thin slice of colored opal is glued onto an ironstone, colorless potch (common opal) or other dark backing, and then polished. The dark backing enhances the color present in the slice, and gives the overall stone the needed durability to be set. You must be careful with doublets, however, as the opal layer is so thin that it can crack if mishandled.

The most durable opal is the triplet. A triplet is constructed like a doublet, but the opal layer is much thinner, and it also has a clear quartz cap over the color layer. The cap helps to magnify the color, and makes the stone very durable. Opal triplets are perfect for ring settings as they are less susceptible to knocks and chips. Some very beautiful jewelry can be made with triplets.

In addition to solid, doublet and triplet opals, there is a fourth option for the home jeweler. The mosaic opal is constructed by using very small chips of colored opal that are glued onto a solid backing like a patchwork quilt. The resulting constructed stone is then either polished and left as a doublet, or capped with clear quartz, making a mosaic triplet.  Mosaic opals can show multiple flashes of color, depending on the chips used, and can be very interesting stones.

Care must be taken when cleaning doublets and triplets. Unlike natural solid opal, doublets and triplets are glued together, and therefore should never be immersed in water or other cleaners. This may cause the liquid to seep under the layers, affecting the beauty and durability of the stone.