Opals Bring Ebullient Energy with a Contemporary Edge

Opals are beautifully distracting. Their prismatic qualities fire off a kaleidoscope of electrifying colors that have beguiled generations of jewelry designers and collectors alike. One collector describes the opal as resembling “a canvas of colorful brushstrokes.” 

There are several opal aficionados in the US who know how to extract the beauty of the stone in their jewelry, including Featherstone Design, Jacquie Aiche, Harwell Godfrey, Yael Designs, Judy Geib, Jennifer Kalled and Irene Neuwirth. Designers have their favorites; for Featherstone founder Deirdre Featherstone, it’s the black opal from Australia’s Lightning Ridge deposit. She also considers boulder opal “breathtaking,” and is currently in love with green opals from Africa, which fluoresce in sunlight as if they are radioactive. 

Jacquie Aiche adores the Queensland Koroit opal, which has ironstone in its matrix for an enchanting matte-and-sparkle effect. She uses its free-form state for rings and pendants, but also loves other Australian opal varieties, as well as Peruvian and fire opal. “There are so many beautiful variations,” enthuses the Los Angeles-based designer. “I have endless love for the energy opal inspires – creativity, optimism, enthusiasm and a sense of possibility.” 

Water and fire 

Luminous white opal and fire opal are the ones that catch the eye of Yehouda Saketkhou, owner and CEO of Yael Designs in San Francisco. “White opals have a softer quality to them; they can look understated at first, but then reveal flashes of blue, green, pink and orange as they move or as they’re combined with another gemstone,” he says. “Fire opals have a completely different personality. Their rich orange and red tones feel warm, bold and full of energy.”  

He is especially drawn to free-form opals when designing because their natural shape often guides the entire design. “Instead of forcing the stone into a predetermined setting, we let its color, shape and personality tell us what the piece should become,” he says.  

Designs he showcased at the Las Vegas fairs this year ranged from toi et moi-style bangles to pendant earrings that paired Mexican fire opals with baroque pearls or gemstones wrapped in ribbons of diamonds. There was also the Barcelona necklace, in which he positioned turquoise and other colored gemstones to spotlight the colors in the opals.  

“We often combine white or water opals with fire opals because the contrast between cool iridescence and warm orange-red tones brings out the character of both stones,” he says.  

Bringing out the best 

In keeping with Featherstone’s background in antique jewelry, the platinum-set designs she presented at Couture had a vintage sensibility. She echoed the fragments of color in the opals by surrounding them with gemstones that matched their toning.  

“Other times, I will highlight the opal by lighting it from the edges with diamonds,” she explains. “I refer to that as the footlights – a way of spotlighting what is happening in the opal.” Alternatively, she might create a necklace of blue-hued opals that show an orange flash, for instance, and add a hot, clean Mexican opal to bring out the contrast.  

Aiche, who is drawn to the stones’ talismanic properties, combines opals with turquoise, tourmaline, pearl and emerald. “I love seeing how their colors and energies play off each other,” she says. She’s also become known for her colorful pendants featuring her proprietary Sunshine Inlay technique, which she introduced in 2017. Working with an inlay artist and Japanese lab-created opals, she has added different symbols, gemstones and landscapes to her medallion designs.  

What retailers want 

Boulder opals and opal beads joined Montana sapphires and rubellites among the stones taking center stage at Couture and JCK Las Vegas, as seen in Jacquie Aiche’s offerings. Yael Designs noticed a strong interest in its signature free-form fire opals, particularly the saturated orange and red tones, which have consistently been one of the jewelry house’s best sellers, according to Saketkhou. 

“Retailers are drawn to the bold color, but also to the fact that every free-form stone is unique,” he says. He supplies to stores across the country, “so we see a wide range of preferences. Classic opal settings tend to have broader appeal, while free-form and more contemporary designs attract clients looking for something distinctive and one-of-a-kind. At Vegas, we meet retailers from many different markets, but both styles perform well. It usually comes down to the individual customer’s taste rather than their location.”  

Main image: Jacquie Aiche free-form oval pendants on model. (Jacquie Aiche)