Predicted Jewellery Trends of 2024!

by Brendan Gryg | Feb 15, 2024 | Australian Opals, Engagement, Gemstones, Interesting Facts, Services

The Jewellery Trends of 2024

Here at Allgem, we are not able to predict the future.. But! Here are some of our general insights and predictions based on the evolving nature of the jewellery industry and fashion trends:

1. Sustainable and Ethical Jewelry:
– The demand for sustainable and ethically sourced jewellery is likely to continue growing. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental and social impact of their purchases, leading to increased interest in eco-friendly and responsibly produced jewellery.

2. Customisation and Personalisation:
– Personalised and custom-designed jewellery is expected to remain popular. Consumers appreciate unique pieces that reflect their individual style and story. Customisable elements such as engravings, birthstones, and unique designs are likely to be key trends.

3. Mixed Metals and Textures:
– Mixing different metals and incorporating varied textures into jewellery designs is expected to be a trend. Combining gold with silver, rose gold, or incorporating textured surfaces can add depth and interest to pieces.

4. Bold and Statement Pieces:
– Large, bold, and statement-making jewellery is anticipated to be a trend in 2024. This includes oversized earrings, chunky bracelets, and standout necklaces that make a bold fashion statement.

5. Geometric and Architectural Designs:
– Geometric shapes and architectural influences are likely to be seen in jewellery designs. Structured and angular pieces that play with shapes and lines can create visually striking and modern aesthetics.

6. Innovative Gemstone Cuts:
– Unique and innovative gemstone cuts beyond the traditional round and oval shapes may gain popularity. As designers experiment with different cuts, consumers might see more geometric, asymmetrical, or customised gemstone shapes.

7. Digital Influences and Technology Integration:
– The integration of technology, such as 3D printing and digital design tools, into the jewellery-making process may become more prevalent. This can lead to intricate and avant-garde designs that were previously challenging to create.

8. Vintage and Retro Revival:
– Vintage and retro-inspired designs are expected to persist in popularity. Nostalgic styles from different eras, including Art Deco, Victorian, or 1990s-inspired pieces, may continue to influence contemporary jewellery.

9. Layering and Stacking:
– Layering and stacking jewellery, particularly necklaces, rings, and bracelets, is likely to continue as a trend. This allows for creative and personalised combinations that can be easily adapted to different styles and occasions.

Keep in mind that trends are constantly evolving, and individual preferences play a significant role in jewelry choices. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on the progressing 2024 jewellery trends, it’s advisable to follow industry publications, fashion shows, and the latest collections from reputable jewellery designers.

Opal- A fascinating gem!

by Brendan Gryg | Feb 15, 2024 | Australian Opals, Uncategorized

Australian opals are renowned worldwide for their vibrant and unique play-of-color, making them one of the most sought-after opals globally. Opals are a type of mineraloid composed of hydrated silica, and their characteristic play-of-colour arises from the diffraction of light within the microscopic silica spheres that make up the stone.

Here are some key points about Australian opals:

1. Types of Australian Opals:
– *Black Opal:*
Mined primarily in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales Australia. Black opals are known for their dark body tone, which enhances the brilliance of their play-of-colour.
– *White Opal:*
These opals have a lighter body tone and are found in various locations, including Coober Pedy in South Australia and Mintabie in the Northern Territory.
– *Crystal Opal:*
Characterized by a transparent to semi-transparent body, crystal opals showcase a play-of-colour against a clear or translucent background. They are found in various Australian opal fields.

2. Play-of-Colour:
– The mesmerizing play-of-colour is the most distinctive feature of opals. It can include a wide spectrum of colours, and the patterns can vary from pinpricks of light to broad flashes.

3. Opal Fields in Australia:
– Australia is home to several opal fields, each producing opals with unique characteristics. Notable fields include Lightning Ridge (New South Wales), Coober Pedy (South Australia), Andamooka (South Australia), and Mintabie (Northern Territory).

4. Mining Methods:
– Opals are mined using various methods, including open-cut mining, underground mining, and tunneling. Coober Pedy is famous for its underground mining, where miners dig tunnels to extract opals.

5. Ethiopian Opals:
– While Australia has long been the main source of high-quality opals, Ethiopia has emerged as another significant producer of opals, including precious and fire opals.

6. Opal Treatments:
– Some Non-Australian opals may undergo treatments to enhance their appearance or stability. Common treatments include impregnation with a colorless resin to improve durability.

7. Cultural Significance:
– Opals hold cultural significance for Indigenous Australians. They are often associated with dreamtime stories and are considered a symbol of good luck and spiritual connection.

8. Opal Jewellery:
– Australian opals are widely used in jewellery, including rings, earrings, pendants, and necklaces. The unique and individual characteristics of each opal make them prized gems in the world of jewellery.

When buying Australian opals, it’s essential to purchase from reputable dealers and to be aware of factors such as colour, clarity, size, and overall quality to ensure you get a genuine, beautiful and unique coloured stone.

Learn about Australian Opals!

by Brendan Gryg | May 24, 2023 | Australian Opals, Uncategorized

This article educates the reader about what opals actually are. Read how to differentiate opal types and values, plus discover some fun opal facts!

Learn About Opal

Buy Opal Here

Know The Difference Between Solid, Doublet and Triplet Opals

SOLID OPAL

(The whole stone is a solid piece of genuine opal)

DOUBLET OPAL

(A slice of genuine opal glued onto a black backing)

TRIPLET OPAL

(a thin slice of genuine opal glued in between a black backing and clear quartz capping)

Solid stable opal can be worn as daily jewellery and in water. Unstable, treated, enhanced, doublet or triplet opals are best to avoid water or harsh chemicals.

What is Opal?

Opal is a form of hydrated silica (SiO₂·nH₂O). This silica “gel” fills small fissures/voids within the Earth which creates opal once hardened. Each precious opal contains an average of 6-10% of water and an organised array of silica spheres/voids. A regular arrangement of these silica spheres/voids diffract white light breaking it into different colour spectrum. The diameter and spacing of them determines the colour range of the opal. Small spheres produce the colour blue. Whereas large spheres produce red. If the spheres/voids are irregularly arranged, too small or absent, this type of common opal will have no colour and is called potch.

Types of Australian Opal

BLACK OPAL

Black opal is the most rare and valuable. It produces the best play of colour. It comes from mainly Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. You can distinguish black opal by the blackness of the background known as body tone.

You can also get a slightly lighter body tone variety called Dark or Grey Opal. These can be found in Mintabie and Lightning Ridge.

WHITE OPAL

White opal is a common and more affordable form of opal. It can be found at all Australian opal fields but the bulk of it comes from South Australian fields such as Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka. It was also mine in White Cliffs back in 1887. White opal is distinguished by the lightness of the body tone.

CRYSTAL OPAL

Crystal Opal is a transparent form of opal. High quality stones can show a distinct play of colour, even better when against a surface such as jewellery metals or against skin when worn. You can get crystal opal in both black and white body tones. It can be found in most Australian opal fields.

BOULDER OPAL

Boulder opal is unique as it naturally forms on a host rock. It sometimes is referred to as “a natural doublet opal”. It is mined predominantly in Queensland opal fields. You can distinguish boulder by the brown iron stone host rock attached to the opal. It can share the same darkness and brilliance as high quality black opal.

MATRIX OPAL

There are two types of Australian matrix opal. Boulder matrix opal is found in Queensland. It is intimately diffused with the brown iron stone resembling a glitter appearance on a dark background. Andamooka matrix opal has the opal intimately diffused with sandstone. This resembles a glitter appearance on a light background if left untreated. However, this type of matrix opal is very often treated to turn the material dark and enhance the colours to make it resemble black opal.

FIRE OPAL

Australian fire opal is formed exothermically rather than sedimentary which the other Australian opals are. It is found near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. It was only recently discovered in 2013 so mining is very limited. It is very transparent so it is often faceted rather than cabochon-cut and polished. The colours range from clear to red with a minimal play of colour compared to the other Australian opals.

Determining Opal Value

BRIGHTNESS

The brightness of colours is the most important factor in determining an opals value. The brighter the opal, the higher the value. It is graded using a scale from B1 to B9. B1 one is the most brilliant colour, where as B9 is a dull colour.

BODY TONE

The body tone is the background of the opal. A darker background is of higher value than a lighter one. It is graded using a scale from N1 to N9. N1 to N4 is considered black opal. N5 to N6 is considered grey opal. N7 to N9 is considered white opal.

COLOURS

The number of different colours can greatly affect the price. An opal containing every colour can be more valuable than one displaying only one or two. An opal changing to a contrasting colour, such as RED to GREEN, will have a higher value too.

PATTERN

There are many patterns opal can come in. Some much more rare than others. A geometric shaped pattern called harequin is the most rare and valuable. Other unique patterns such as broadflash, chaff, chinese writing, and mackeral also have great value.

SHAPE

Cabochon-cut opals typically will have a higher value than opals with a flat surface. Free form shapes are gaining popularity due to its’ more distinctive designs.

MARKS

Most opals will have sand in the back of the stones. This usually doesn’t affect value. However, marks or natural inclusions that are fairly noticeable to the face of the opal can affect the value.

History of Opal

Opal was first established as a gemstone by the Romans during the trading era. It was originally believed to be found in India so the Romans named it “Opalus” based on the ancient Indian word “Upala” meaning precious stone. Opal was valued above all other precious stones and quickly earned the nickname “The Queen of Gems”.

A lot of the early sort after opal came from open-cut mines in Hungary. These opals were the only source of opal in Europe until the Spaniards returned with fine Aztec opal samples from the New World. During the great depression the demand for opal diminished and the Hungarian open-cut mines closed for a period of time and reopened again as underground mines. The discovery of Australian opal was originally suppressed because the Hungarian mines couldn’t believe opal with such brilliance could exist and deemed it to be fake.

The first Australian common opal was discovered by Johannes Menge, in 1849, near Angaston (South Australia). Mining of precious opal began at White Cliffs (New South Wales) in 1890, Opalton (Queensland) in 1896, and Lightning Ridge (NSW) in 1905.

Opal was discovered at Coober Pedy (South Australia) in 1915 by a teenage boy prospecting for gold with his father. Mining began around 1920 and Andamooka (SA) began mining in 1930.

In 2013, fire opal was discovered approximately 600kms north of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It is Australia’s only exothermically formed opal. Mining is still becoming established.

Australia is currently producing more than 95% of the World’s opals. Other sources of opal come from Mexico, America, Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Peruvia, Slovakia, Tanzania and Honduras.

Myths and Facts About Opals

Myth: Opals are bad luck.

Fact: When opals were first discovered in Australia, diamond traders were concerned opals would become more popular than diamonds due to the unique brilliance our opals have. To make sure this didn’t happen they got their wives to spread a “Wives Tale”. Opal has actually been considered to bring good luck to the wearer and has been prized by many civilisations. Top quality Australian black opal can actually have a higher price per carat than diamonds!

Myth: All opals can’t get wet.

Fact: Solid stable opal can get wet! This myth was derived from the production of assembled opals such as doublets and triplets. These opals can discolour or separate if routinely submerged in hot soapy water. This happens due to the glue dissolving. Unstable opal (opal with visible cracks inside it) can be further damaged if consistently being taken in and out of water. This type of opal is best to be stored as a collectable specimen in a jar with water to keep it hydrated.

Myth: Opals are too fragile for jewellery.

Fact: Opal is 5.5-6.5 on the Mohs scale which is between the hardness of glass and steel. Yes it is on the softer side but with proper aftercare they will make wonderful additions to your jewellery collection! Just like all jewellery… you should avoid wearing them during hard labour, exercising, cleaning, gardening or any other rough activities you risk impacting the opal with hard surfaces. Remember, you can still break a diamond so treat ALL jewellery with care.

View Entire Opal Range Here

How to Buy Loose Opals Without Looking Clueless

by MediaCloud Support | Jan 6, 2020 | Australian Opals

Australia’s opal mines are responsible for approximately 90% of the world’s opals. Defined by its shifting colours, semi-transparency and silica composition, the opal – or particularly, the Australian opal, came into being between 30 and 40 million years ago, when heavy weathering began to dissolve the silica stored in the holes of a rock.

Patterns

Opals have so many patterns that is nearly impossible to find two opals that look the exact same. Distinct and attractive patterns such as harlequin, rolling flash, Chinese writing, ribbon and mosaic are extremely rare and considered collectors’ items.

Value

The value of an opal is determined by its type, its predominant colours, the clarity of these colours, and the patterns in which the colours are displayed. Other factors can include the shapes by which it is cut, its body tone, its brilliance or its transparency.

There is no governing body to value and price the world’s opals. Instead, demand from the international market decides what buyers must pay to obtain these gems. Demand relates to customer enthusiasm and may be directly influenced by the world economy or global fashion trends.

Quality

As opals are of such a rare and high quality, their scarcity is increasing on a global scale. In a good quality opal, the spheres of silica are packed together in a regular pattern – which creates a three-dimensional appearance with bands, or flashes, of colour.

Other factors at play within an opal’s quality include its body tone, brilliance, the thickness of its colour bar, and any faults such as cracked or natural inclusions.

Comparison

When choosing and comparing opals, be sure to select a colour that appeals to you. In your comparison, be aware that an opal is judged on its range of colour and colour composition – so the more colourful an opal, the more valuable it will be.

It is also important to look at as many different opal types as you can to decide on which type you like best. If it’s a solid opal you’re after, for example, this research will help you ascertain that a solid opal is durable but also quite expensive in comparison to a composite opal.

Inspection

It is extremely important to have a jewellery inspection conducted before you purchase an opal. A professional jewellers’ opinion may affect the gem’s value, and may also provide valuable insight on its care requirements for maintenance in future.

Once you’re ready for purchase, be sure to obtain a certificate of authenticity. Reasons for doing so include insurance purposes, re-sale value and accountability of the seller.

Where to purchase opals in Perth

If you’re on the hunt for a precious opal in Perth, look no further than the team at Allgem Jewellers. Allgem jeweller Alfie has extensive training and experience with precious gems and Australian opals, and has qualifications as a Registered Valuer, Gemmologist and Master Jeweller. Conveniently located in Hay Street Mall in the CBD, our services involve the valuation of custom jewellery, gemstones and more. Contact our professional master jewellers to book in for your next jewellery valuation.

Put An Engagement Ring On It

by MediaCloud Support | Oct 8, 2019 | Australian Opals

Choosing an engagement ring is often the toughest element of the proposal and wedding process. Luckily for future brides, however, there is no shortage of jewellery design and style trends on the market (or in the store) for your ideal engagement ring purchase. Therefore, it’s time to ramp up the process and read our roundup of engagement ring trends to suit any and every bride.

Take a peek below at what trends Australian jewellers and brands will be championing this year.

Engagement Ring for Women

Stacked Up

Adding depth to a set of rings allows the future bride to create a unique look by experimenting with different ring styles, stones and shapes. This is a highly customisable option, and can tie in nicely with the bride’s future wedding band – which can be designed, in turn, to complement or ‘stack’ neatly the engagement ring.

Embellished

If you’re opting for a ring that is a little less simple, embellished rings can feature intricate markings or studded gems and can make for stunningly complex pieces. These rings can also feature combinations of diamonds and gemstones that evoke a unique brilliance and make for an eye-catching piece of jewellery.

Rose gold

The rose gold trend is certainly not restricted to the jewellery scene. Offering plain gold pieces an updated, rosy finish, many brides are now electing to choose a rose gold colour for either their engagement ring or their wedding band so that each piece can complement the tone of the other.

Barely there

The minimalistic rounded style of engagement ring is making a splash in the jewellery industry currently, particularly thanks to Meghan Markle’s slew of tiny thin gold bands. These ‘barely-there’ wire rings are ideal for a more casual bride, as they offer the simplicity and timelessness of a delicate, dainty piece.

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Rings for Men

Mixed metal

Incorporating a variety of metals including yellow gold, platinum, rose gold or brushed steel into your ring design can make for a very stylish and versatile men’s jewellery piece.

Finish

Neutral materials are proving to be quite a trend for men’s engagement rings this year, with mixes of woods and metals providing an extremely unique style that is perfect for a man who loves nature and the outdoors.

Custom design

Utilising custom design techniques such as a personalised inscription, unique blend of materials (as mentioned above), creative shaping and more can create an extra sentimental, customised ring for the special man in your life to cherish forever.