Comments on: Bonzer Boulder Opal Necklace

By: Fran Selinger

Fran Selinger — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 03:52:54 +0000

Aha! Intrigued by your bail for top drilled cabs. Some abandoned projects may be dusted off and re-thought. Thank you for the inspiration.

By: Dana C Smith

Dana C Smith — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:56:31 +0000

Thank you Rena, Catherine, and Elizabeth!
Elizabeth, the opal pendant was already drilled thru with a 2mm hole; so my challenge was how to attach a bail and chain as simply as I could.
Janice E., from whom I purchased my boulder opal, drilled the hole, using specialist tools, I’m sure. Boulder opal, even encased in it’s mineral home, ironstone, is delicate!
Dana

By: Elizabeth Reid

Elizabeth Reid — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:04:21 +0000

Did you make the little holes on the opal or were they there? If you made the holes, how did you do it?

By: Catherine Franz

Catherine Franz — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 14:44:29 +0000

The opal is beautiful. Love the colors. Yes, I too have had expensive stones I keep pushing aside until I can visualize what the appropriate setting is. Thank you for your inspiration. I have one on my workbench right now that’s been sitting there for a few weeks. Today, I’m going to begin working on a design. I like how you used your intuition and skills to come up with the bail. Good job! Thank you for sharing! And the inspiration!

By: Rena Klingenberg

Rena Klingenberg — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 10:16:16 +0000

What an incredible boulder opal, Dana! And a great design for the bail, the chain links and the clasp – all in different proportions of the same shape, and artistic without distracting attention from that fab stone. The result is well worth a year of “productive procrastination” (I could use that phrase for some of my projects too. 🙂 )

By: Dana C Smith

Dana C Smith — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 19:40:24 +0000

Hi Sarah, I inserted the hammered 16 gauge 14kt goldfilled wire bail into the 2mm side to side holes of the boulder opal-verrry carefully! So there is no metal at the back; just the polished stone. Manipulating the ends further hardened the metal-it’s not going anywhere.

By: Sarah Small

Sarah Small — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 00:27:36 +0000

This is beautiful! I would love to see the back to see how the bail is connected!