Ethiopian Opal Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Choker Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Stud Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century German Aesthetic Movement Bangles
Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Art Deco Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s French Artisan Fashion Rings
Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Opal, White Diamond, Diamond, Sterling Silver, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
2010s American Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Tsavorite, Black Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yel...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Dome Rings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Art Deco Drop Necklaces
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Fire Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Opal, Spinel, Black Spinel, Rhodolite, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plate, St...
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Opal, White Diamond, Diamond, Sterling Silver, Silver
Late 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Central American Art Deco Link Necklaces
Opal, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
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Ethiopian Opal Jewelry For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is an Ethiopian Opal Jewelry?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
The Legacy of Opal in Jewelry Design
Opals were discovered in 400 BC, and since then five types have been found throughout the world. Before you start shopping for mysteriously beautiful vintage opal rings and other opal jewelry, learn about the different varieties of the gem — and find out which historical figure was reportedly willing to trade his kingdom for a single stone.
Here is a little riddle for you: the month of October has two birthstones, but only one of them encompasses the colors of other birthstones. If you guessed opal, you’re right! (The other gemstone associated with the month of October is tourmaline.)
Opals are such unusual gemstones that there are too many old-wives tales associated with them, like if you’re a blond, wearing an opal necklace will protect your locks from losing color. Opals were also very fashionable in the early 19th century, up until the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Anne of Geierstein in 1829. The title heroine wears an opal and succumbs to an untimely death. However, the British monarchy, and in particular Queen Victoria, did not let this story get in their way, and they frequently gifted opals to friends and family members. October babies should disregard the noise and proudly wear their opals!
There are five types of precious opals: boulder opal, fire opal, crystal/water opal, black opal, and white/light opal. Each variety is distinguished by its color.
So, where does the name come from? The word opal is thought to originate from the Roman opalus or from the Sanskrit úpala (“precious stone”) or from the Greek opallios (“to see a color change”). So while there have been many names for the stones, opals were first discovered in 400 BC in Ethiopia. But the early reference that comes up most often in history books is from the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who wrote about it in 75 AD. In his text he refers to it as opali. The Romans were big fans of opal, Mark Antony was so enamored by it that, as the story goes, he was willing to trade a portion of his kingdom for a single opal.
There's a wide variety of antique and vintage opal jewelry on 1stDibs (and you won't have to trade your kingdom for it).