Funky new opal designs put a new spin on national gemstone
June 30th , 2008
Always pushing the profile of Australia's national gemstone, the Opal, Sunshine Coast's Opals Down Under have released a brand new range of funky, handcrafted, Australian-made jewellery inspired by recent fashion trends.
Using innovative Bright Sterling Silver (silver that will never go black), Opals Down Under, in conjunction with an Australian award-winning jeweller have combined treated Queensland Boulder Opal Matrix with striking free-flowing designs.
The new range, dubbed 'Sliders' due to their loose setting, utilises the amazing colours that are displayed in the Boulder Opal Matrix, or Black Paradise Opal, which has been carbonised and stabilised to increase durability.
Opals Down Under Manager and Opal Cutter, Scott Coggan said that the 'Sliders' were designed to correspond with the current swing towards Silver jewellery in the fashion world.
"Due to the world price of gold, Silver has never been so popular, so we thought we would produce a range of opal jewellery that was completely handmade and complemented the unique nature of the Black Paradise Opal," he said.
"Each setting is a one-off, and of course no one opal is the same, so this jewellery is very competitive in that each piece is completely unique, while being extremely affordable with the prices ranging between $100 and $350.
"With the 'Sliders' range, we've also released the 'Sliders' beads which are opals shaped into 'doughnuts' with a silver sleeve inserted through the hole, allowing the beads to not only be worn as pendants, but (depending on the diameter of the hole) also be used on European style bracelets such as Pandora, Trolli, Chamilia etc."
The 'Sliders' beads also use Crystal Opal, and Boulder Opal, for a completely unique look, with the translucent nature of Crystal Opal displaying an amazing array of colour variations.
In a world where everyone wants to make a statement that they are unique, Opals Down Under's 'Sliders' jewellery range definitely shout out individuality.