Black Opal and Silver Necklace
In this necklace, the sleek modern triangular shape of the rare Australian Black Opal pendant meets more traditional string made of Black Welo Ethiopian Fire Opal (5 mm beads) and oxidized Karen Hill Tribe silver. The necklace is 18" long without the pendant, the pendant adds another 43 mm. The pendant is triangular, sleek, 35 mm at the base.
The color of the necklace is most beautiful and changes depending on the light. It varies from almost black with a a little red and green of the embers of a dying fire, to magnificent green and blue fireworks on a the black sky in bright light. The photos barely give it justice, but even on the photos you can see the difference in color depending on the light, and the beautiful play of blue, green and some red on the black.
About Opals:
Opal Jewelry is mentioned as early as in the Roman Empire. It was an a beautiful opal that Marcus Antonius was planning to give to his Cleopatra. The said opal however belonged to a politician named Nonius, who did not have any plans to sell it to Marcus Antonius, and for that was banished from Rome. Since then, opals are among the favorite gems of royalty through the centuries. Queen Victoria of England was particularly fond of it.
Opals come in a range of colors from nearly transparent, to yellow, blue, orange, rainbow, and black. Black opals are considered the most valuable variety.
For a long time, Australia had no rivals in mining opals, until relatively recently. In 1998 opals were discovered in Ethiopia, and subsequently, large deposits were found in Welo, Ethiopia. There appears to be a substantial rivalry between Australia and Ethiopia, each claiming the superior quality of their opals. The necklace we offer combines both Ethiopian and Australian varieties.
The Opal is a birthstone for the month of October and the gemstone represents the 14th and 18th wedding anniversaries.
About Karen Hill Tribe silver:
The Karen Hill Tribe people are part of the ancient tribes originating from the mountains of Tibet and can be traced back to the 12th century. The 20 Hill tribes, numbering over 7 million people altogether, are spread over regions between Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma), with the Karen tribe being the largest. Most Karen Hill tribe villages are remote farming communities in the dense jungle covering the hills of this region.
Handmade silver has been for centuries the sign of wealth and status. The handmade silversmith tradition goes back centuries. The silver used by these silversmiths is very fine, 99.8-99.9% pure silver, which is substantially higher in silver content than the 92.5% sterling silver. The hand-hammered silver jewelry they make from this soft silver is exquisite and is now in high demand well beyond the region.
