Filigree Ring with Ethiopian Opal in Sterling Silver or Antique Bronze

This handmade filigree ring with a beautiful opal has a romantic Gothic feel to it, but has an appeal to everyone. This ring is set with a 5x7mm Ethiopian opal and available in either .925 sterling silver or antique bronze. The style is based on the 1950's style with swirls and scrollwork. The top of the ring is 1.3cm wide and the tip sits 0.6cm high depending on the height of the stone. The master mold comes from a retired jewellery shop here in town. The bezel is a scalloped bezel good for setting stones. Shipping is with tracking and insurance.

The opals I have can vary from one to the next in color and clarity, so the one in the picture and the one I make you will be slightly different than the one photographed. Do feel free to ask for pictures if you want to see the exact one that will be in your ring, but I promise you'll love it! I have a limit number of them on hand, but I do go to gem shows twice a year to restock on these stones because they are so beautiful.

Ethiopian opal is believed to be an old gemstone. In 1939, an anthropologist found evidence of use of the opal by early man in a cave in Kenya. It was not until the mid 1990s when the opal was re-discovered and mining was begun. Good Ethiopian opals have diverse play of colors from neon reds, oranges, green, blue, white, yellow, brown and a fire color in a translucent background. Ethiopian fire opals have striking pattern formations which make each opal unique.

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

Bronze is an alloy that consists of a mixture of approximately 90% copper and 10% tin. Producing bronze is a less toxic process than producing brass as brass is a combination of copper and zinc, and the manufacturing process often produces zinc oxide which is toxic.

Because bronze contains copper, it can turn your skin green whether you have an allergy or not. Bronze and copper turn your skin green because when the copper reacts with your sweat and the acids from your skin, it produces copper chloride. Copper chloride is a green substance that then rubs off on your skin. If you are prone to sweating, your bronze jewelry will definitely turn your skin green. This chemical reaction can also be prevented by painting any part of the jewelry that comes in contact with your skin with clear nail polish or clear acrylic enamel.