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Pearl
Opal is truly a case of "Desert meets the Ocean".
In the middle of nowhere, in western Queensland, the opal
miner digs the opal from the earth where it has taken millions
of years to form.
The boulder opal is then carefully shaped and polished bringing
out its magnificent colours…
Then, at Shark Bay in Western Australia, the boulder opal
is specially prepared for it's insertion into the pearl shell,
it has to be just right, if the preparation is not exactly
right the shell will die.
The pearl shell is then gently coaxed open - it can't be forced
as the stress would kill it - so the shells are only opened
about 2cm, then a technician skilfully inserts the opal into
a live pearl shell
The pearl shell is then rested and returned to the ocean and
left for approximately 12- 18 months (depending upon the locality).
Once there it has to be regularly cleaned to prevent marine
growths and worms from causing harm.
This had never been tried previously so it was a case of trial
and error and a lot can and did go wrong… such as cyclones.
The original opal in a pearl took three years to harvest.
The precious shells are eventually brought from the ocean
to be individually checked and, when ready, the shell is harvested.
Each piece of pearl opal is then returned to the skilled opal
cutter for the finishing touches which expose the boulder
opal allowing the colors show.
You can see in each piece that the pearl shell has created
a setting around the opal and the finished piece allows the
colours of the opal to blend with the glow and lustre of the
pearl.
Notice the colours and glow changes under different light
conditions. just amazing!
Once the pieces are processed they are taken to our jewellers
where further skilled work is done to set them in pendants.
This is only a very brief description of a long skillful process
to create something totally unique
A wonderful combination of two of nature's miracles, Opal
and Pearl.
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