It’s only too perfect that my favorite month is marked by one of my favorite gemstones. It’s even more fabulous that one of my favorite jewelers has taken a liking to working with that gemstone.
This won’t be the first blog post you see featuring opals. Far from it—the mesmerizing stone is a crowd favorite and has been for as long as I’ve had the pleasure of being in the business (and I’m quite certain much, much longer than that).
Yes, we all love opals, and if we hadn’t been celebrating it all year already, then October is our reminder to do so properly. There’s a living, breathing quality to this month’s birthstone, with a galaxy of color contained in its being, no matter the shape, no matter the size.
When I was working in retail, I learned that wearing opals was considered unlucky unless it was your birthstone. At the time, I did find myself a little leery of the stone—who wants to wear something that’s widely considered bad luck? I missed out on a ton of opal opportunities at that point, since I could have worn some pretty spectacular ones while working in the store.
I’ve made my peace with it. If anything, opals should be considered lucky, because a person wearing the stone is so very fortunate to be doing so. I just read on the GIA website that it was the 1829 novel Anne of Geierstein by Sir Walter Scott that can be considered to blame for giving opals the reputation of being unlucky. It’s crazy to think that a literary work I had not previously heard of set forth such a powerful rumor. Perhaps I need to add it to my reading list.
Anyway, opals. Yup, New York City–based Lauren K is miraculous with them. Don’t be fooled: Opal is an alluring stone all its own, it’s true, but it takes a truly expert hand to illuminate its beauty, to add without detracting, to aid in its intense amazingness.
“I like working with opals because there is so much play of color, and they are so captivating,” says Lauren Kessler, designer behind the Lauren K brand. “Each is like a little world or galaxy, and no two are identical. With so many color variations, they are visually exciting and fun to work with and easy to mix with other gems.”
Top: Drop earrings in 18k yellow gold with 69.92 cts. t.w. faceted boulder opal briolettes and emeralds and 0.07 ct. t.w. diamonds, $13,250
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