Sarah Gardner opal ring. Photograph courtesy of Sarah Gardner Jewellery. The last few decades have not been kind to opals. The amorphous stone, formed from a hardened blend of water and silica in fissures of rocks, is unique in that it is the only gemstone that displays all of the colours of the rainbow. With approximately 95 per cent of the world’s deposits, the opal is considered to be Australia’s national gemstone. But despite its local abundance and captivating physical qualities, opals have experienced a national crisis of public perception.
“The general perception is still shrouded in an almost 100-year-old myth that opals are bad luck, not suitable for everyday wear and that they can’t get wet,” says the Sydney-based jewellery designer Sarah Gardner, whose eponymous brand regularly hosts opal “myth-busting” sessions on Instagram. “The notion that they are bad luck was invented by De Beers to sell more diamonds. Opals and pearls were the engagement ring stones of choice at that time, so it served them very well to sell the story that they aren’t suitable for everyday wear.”
Prosperity propaganda aside, the price point and accessibility of opals saw them painted in a daggy light – a “cheap stone for tourists” says Atheka Le Souef, the director and owner of Lightning Ridge Opal Mines. But the tide of public sentiment appears to be turning, thanks to the efforts of Australian jewellers and a handful of luxury houses who are determined to bring them back in fashion’s favour.
The origins of the opal are shrouded in mystery. “No one really knows how opal is formed,” says Le Souef, whose family-run business has been operating for over 50 years. One theory she shares is that it starts out as a liquid solution (silicon dioxide and water) and over the course of millions of years it hardens into the opal form that we see today. “The opal liquid seeps through the cracks and voids and the water evaporates leaving opal deposits.” Low-grade or small opals can retail from as little as $5, while high-quality black opals and rare pieces can fetch millions.
Gardner, who was trained in traditional jewellery craftsmanship and describes her design aesthetic is “individualistic, ancient inspired and jewel encrusted”, recalls up-skilling in opals during the 1990s “when it definitely wasn’t the thing to do – no one in Australia wanted to know about them”.
Gardner was amazed by their natural beauty and individuality. “I fell in love with them,” she says, and soon began incorporating them into her creations. “They bring an otherworldly feel to my jewellery. Even if set into a simpler style, the fact that no two are alike brings a uniqueness to each piece.”
For her collections Gardner uses a selection of Australian opals only, ranging from black opals, boulder opals and crystal white opals. The designer’s favourite opal-set pieces include a sapphire and black opal necklace and a Sunburst ring set with a custom cut black opal.
Gardner has experienced a shift in the stone’s popularity in the last five years, which she credits to consumers learning more about the distinctive gemstone. The newfound appreciation for opals is evident in other Australian brands’ fine jewellery collections.
Sarah & Sebastian harness the stone’s unpredictability in its Opal Edit, which includes intricately rendered cluster pieces, statement necklaces and petite cartilage studs. Natalie Marie Jewellery, an Avalon-based design studio that specialises in consciously crafted heirlooms, is another brand breathing new life into opals. Its One of a Kind collection features the Safia ring, comprising a 0.35ct oval cut Australian opal, accented by a petite diamond.
Australian opals have similarly transfixed luxury jewellery houses such as Cartier, who regularly incorporate the gemstone into its annual high jewellery collections. A current creation features a 47.38 carat cabochon-cut opal, a 5 carat briolette-cut fire opal, fire opals and two Ethiopian teardrop-cut opals 2.48 carats. So enamoured with the stone is Cartier that the brand’s Sydney flagship, which opened to the public in 2022, also houses the Opal Bar – a curved turquoise coloured marble counter where shoppers can taste cocktails shaken with locally sourced, native ingredients.
