Opal Ring Inspection: Identifying Internal Lines & Damage
Question
ring
I recently purchased a large ring from a jeweler in another state. It came with an appraisal from IGL done last year. The ring is lovely, with a large center opal. The problem is that the underside of the opal, which is partly patch color and partly gray potch??) has lines through it. I took it to my local jeweler, a self-admitted diamond guy, who had no clue. We looped it and could not tell. The stone has a high polish that seems unaffected by the lines. How can I tell if they are cracks? Could they be potch lines? Maybe the stone has been sealed with he stuff that you talk about here?? Sorry, I'm just an October baby who loves opal. I'm not at all concerned about the appearance of the ring. It looks beautiful. I AM worried that these lines represent some structural problem with the opal. At 16+ carats, and several thousand $, I want to try and be smart about whether or not to keep this purchase. Just because my heart loves it may not be reason enough?? Thank you for any advice that you are able to offer..I tried to take a picture of the back, but I'm sure it doesn't show enough detail to really help :(
AnswerDear Debra ,
What a lovely piece of jewellery . The stone as far as I can tell is either a gray opal from Coober pedy but its more likely to be a gray /black opal from lightning ridge. Lines on the back side of the stone is sort of normal for these type of stones. Any image of the backside would help identify if these lines were a danger sign . Have you noticed that several months ago these lines were not there ? I can understand that your jeweler guy has no clue , Harry Winston once said that Diamond was the easiest to value and an Opal the hardest of all . Thats because a set of stones can identify the colour of a diamond , where as with opal they have only just developed a system to determine how black the black is in the base colour of an opal .The setting is very Thai in character. If you able to see the back and there are spider webs like lines, I would be a little concerned. If not but on the sides were some lines, then surely your jeweller could at least put a cold white light on it and look under magnification to see if these are pattern lines or indeed crazing or cracks . If you can send me a back picture of the stone I may be able to determine this. The only other possibility is that when the stone was set the claws were pinched a little too tight and it may have fractured the stone ( conchoidal ) these will not cause the stone to break but I agree if thats the case, you might look for another opal that will bring you delight, there are many different types , try looking for a beautiful boulder opal, they are so pretty and very very strong . hope that helps .best regards Rod Keady wwww.keadyopals.com
