Opalites are trending thanks to Taylor …
Since dropping her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift has once again proven her star power. Global interest in opalites has skyrocketed, especially opalite rings, as the third song Opalite is about her fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce.
Though often mistaken for natural opal, opalite is a manmade glass that mimics the shimmering, iridescent effect of genuine opals. “Think of a clear blue sky on a winter morning, that’s the colour of opalite. Soft blue with a hint of green, a swish of pink dancing in a hazy white body of stone,” explains Irish fine jeweller Sam Lafford, founder of Studio Lafford. “I’m impressed with Taylor’s choices – from her old cut diamond engagement ring to her knowledge of obscure gems. I look forward to further insights into her jewellery box!”
Affordable, durable and versatile, opalite has become a favourite for both jewellery designers and collectors; and is said to represent resilience and self-made beauty. Swift explained: “I love the metaphor of a manmade opal and like you also had to make your own happiness in your life. You had to get yourself through some difficult times to get to the positive place you’re in now.” Swift’s love of opalites is a natural extension of her sentimental attachment to opals. In the past she has said, “I’ve always loved opals, my mom has always loved opals, kind of like our thing, one of our many things.”
Irish jewellers are noting a surge of interest, including Co Monaghan-based goldsmith Annette Lappin. “One of my recent commissions was for an oval-shaped opal set as the centrepiece, surrounded by a halo of round diamonds.”
Lappin is fascinated by the history of the stone; the Romans thought opals were a symbol of hope, purity and love, while the Greeks believed that they gave them the gift of prophecy and guarded them from disease. “As a lover of natural gems, I very much admire and adore opals given their infinitely unique vast variety of colours. From the blue and greens of the Australian black opals; the flame oranges of the Mexican fire opals; pinks, greens and blues of the Andean opals; water-like shades of the Ethiopian opal; the amazing opalescence of Brazilian opals and the intricate patterns of the Boulder and Honduran opals.”
“We love opals at McCaul’s and always have some in stock,” says goldsmith Barry McCaul, whose atelier is in Malahide, Co Dublin. “Long before DeBeers marketed diamonds as the quintessential engagement ring stone, Queen Victoria – who loved the stone – made opals a popular choice for engagement rings.”
“Opal comes in a huge variety of shapes and colours, from manmade opalite in pale whites and soft blues, to the rarest and most sought-after, ligthning ridge black opal from Australia. While called black opal, it’s anything but, known for its deep blues and greens, and occasionally even hints of red. For us, there’s only one colour metal to set this in, which is satin finished 18ct yellow gold. The richness of the gold contrasts wonderfully with the opal, which we’ll often complement with diamonds to highlight the colours.”
Examples in their showrooms include a deep blue opal weighing in just under 6 carats and accentuated with white diamonds.
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