Where it began
1973 -- one single opal stone
It started with a single stone...
As a youth I always enjoyed cutting and polishing agate, obsidian, turquoise and other stones. One day a friend of mine introduced me to Australian opal and my love for the fire began. It turned into more of an obsession, almost an addiction of sorts.
I have been cutting and polishing opal and setting stones in jewelry pieces for over 50 years. During this time I have gained an appreciation for vintage jewelry and vintage watches, some are 90-100 years old. I sanitize, refurbish and mount opals to create a new look. If you have vintage rings, pendants or watches I can help you give them new life. Adding opal to a setting gives it a whole new colorful sparkle and brighter look. Let me help you create new heirlooms for you! If you want to see some of the pieces I have available on my OpalWatching Etsy store click here
The craft
From the earth to your hands.
Our jewelry is made by a small team of craftspeople who share our obsession. Each piece is designed to let the opal speak — the setting exists to hold the stone, not compete with it. We work mostly in 14kt or 10kt yellow gold and sterling silver. Custom work is always made to order, always one of a kind. OpalWatching vintage jewelry upgrades and OpalWatching vintage watch pendants and bracelet settings may be gold plated, rolled gold or gold filled depending on the original vintage piece being used. Many Opal watch cases we use are 90 to 120 years old. All are sanitized, repaired and refurbished to look their best. Everything's better with opal.
Workbench pick of the projects – start to finish
This project was challenging... started with a sandstone covered piece of Lightning Ridge opal shaped like a "witch's hat" that needed to be cleaned up before I could even decide what to do with it. After removing sandstone and polishing out the pits I decided it needed something in the cupped shape stone. I chose Oregon Sunstone which was mounted in gold, made the bezel and attached the sunstone. Finished by attaching the bail and added a gold filled neck chain. Definitely a "One of a kind" piece. It's available on our store.
"An opal is not just a gemstone. It is a window into deep time — millions of years of Australian earth, compressed into something you can hold in your hand."
— OpalWatching
Ready to find your stone?