2 Rare Antique Australian Black Opals 1920s

Two Antique 1920's Rare Genuine Black "Lightening Ridge" Australian Opal Round Semi-Precious Gemstones!

ORIGIN: Lightening Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. Early 20th Century.

SIZE: Diameter 3 mm (measurement approximate).

WEIGHT: 0.17 carats (the pair).

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstones as a ring, pendant, or as earrings(click here for more information).

DETAIL: These are absolutely gorgeous, natural "black" opals from Australia originally produced in the 1920's. Added to our collection in the 1930's, these are very uncommon gemstones, difficult to procure. The world's entire production of gemstone quality black opal comes from one claim in Australia known as "Lightening Ridge". They are solid black opal, with a natural potch or ironstone concretion substrate. These are good quality black opals, though contemporary mining techniques occasionally produce specimens with greater fire - and much, much greater price tags as well. For those unfamiliar with black opal, it is somewhat akin to, if you will image, black abalone mother of pearl - which is to say, mother of pearl with a black background. Even without direct light, there is a green-blue-violet iridescence to the black color. Then the transformation when struck by full light can be simply breathtaking, as the illumination transforms the opals into a stunning iridescent rainbow of incredibly striking colors and luminescence. If you would like to learn more about black opals, there's a very authoritative and informative article here: "http://www.opalshed.com.au/types.html".

The more expensive and high grade (up to $20,000 a carat) opals are almost psychedelic in their transfixing pattern of iridescent coloration. Under magnification the gemstones show the unmistakable characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the early 20th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered detrimental to the value of the gemstones. In fact most serious collectors consider such gemstones more desirable, possessed of greater character and uniqueness when compared to today's cookie-cutter mass-produced machine-tumbled gemstones. Unlike today's computer controlled machine produced gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived almost a century ago.

HISTORY: In ancient times opal was included among the noble gems and was ranked second only to emerald by the Romans, who sometimes referred to opal as the "cupid stone". The original ancient source of opal gemstones, known in Roman times, was in what is now East Slovakia. Early Arabs believed opals fell from the heavens in flashes of lightning that gave them their fiery play-of-color. Ancient Greeks, amongst many other ancient cultures, thought opals gave their owner the gift of prophecy and prevented diseases. The name "opal" is derived from the Latin "opallus", and from Sanskrit "upala", both of which translate to "precious stone". Opals are generally divided into two groups, white and black. Both share the similar appearance where a spectrum of colors can be seen in the depths of the stone. Black opal, with a body color from a dark gray to black, containing within the full play of iridescent colors, is the most valuable variety of all. For a while in the 18th and 19th centuries, opals were considered to be amongst the world's most desirable gemstones, and literally a king's ransom was on occasion paid for a particularly handsome specimen.

You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world’s history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar’s led to further education and contacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset.

Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today.

In my travels back and forth between the USA, Asia, and Eastern Europe I also tend to accumulate a lot of books, CD’s, and audio recordings. So I oftentimes have lightly used CD’s, once-read books, audio recordings, and even some antique books I buy in Europe for sale as well. And occasionally I will find such a good buy on contemporary jewelry for my clients that I will purchase a few extra pieces to offer on eBay. These are always offered clearly labeled as contemporary, and not antiques – just to avoid confusion. I also end up with boatloads of jewelry and gemstone samples which were not fully distributed to the retailers I purchase on behalf of. Some really great pieces, including antiques, pearls, as well as some pieces of antique Russian jewelry.

I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!

Domestic shipping is $3.99 for first class mail or $6.99 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site). Canadian shipments are $3.99 for Air Mail; International shipments are $4.99 for Air Mail (and generally are NOT tracked; trackable shipments are EXTRA). I can add most other items I sell to the shipment for only $0.99 each. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. Trackable and insured shipments are required by PayPal for all eBay purchases utilizing PayPal as a payment method. Therefore shipping costs for this item includes the fee for postal insurance ($2 for domestic shipments; $3 for international shipments); and is required for whenever PayPal is used as the payment method.

We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price. We do offer a certificate of authenticity (COA) upon request for all of our items. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."