by Tamara Summers.
(Sarnia, Ontario, Canada)
Quite a few years ago, I came across a pair of quite heavy milky-coloured earrings in a consignment clothing store.
As I picked them up I noticed a flash of red from inside of them. My first thought was that they were too heavy to be worn as earrings, which was probably why they were there. But they would make lovely, interesting pendants, so home with me they came!
I started to search on-line for more information about my opal-like treasures, and ended up finding this site, before it was JMJ. 🙂 My search turned up Rena’s post about Opalite, which she referenced in her last newsletter. After reading that, several years ago, I was convinced that I had Opalite pendants, but over the years I’ve hung on to them.
After reading Rena’s post again with the last newsletter, it reminded me that I’m still not exactly sure what type of Opalite I have, glass, gemstone (dolomite, quartz and fluorite), or impure opal. So I thought I’d share pictures, and hopefully get an opinion or two.
My pendants don’t really have the same blue glow that Rena’s pendants had, even against a dark background.
I’ve made beaded necklaces in shades that compliment the pale blue, white, and golden shades in the Opalite. For one, I made a three-strand necklace with beads and chips of Opalite, quartz, shell, glass and pearl.
For the other one, I chose brown accent beads with copper and pale blue designs on them, then added soft blue ceramic beads, pale blue and golden pearls, and brown seed beads. I didn’t want to take away from the unique but simple pendants, so I kept my designs simple and complimentary to the Opalite.
Thank you for your help with this. Identification isn’t always my strong point. 🙂
Tamara Summers
Pink Pearls and Potpourri at Etsy
Simply said it is man made, aka glass.
Thanks for your help, Millie! 🙂
You can sometimes tell if it is stone or glass by the feel. If it stays cold, it is stone.
Interesting, Cheryl! I held one of the pendants in one hand, and a couple of gemstones in my other hand, and they both warm up to my hand at the same rate. I must have hot hand, lol! 🙂
I was taught that clicking the bead against your front teeth can help you identify glass vs stone. You might try this with a variety of known glass beads and known stone beads and see if this helps in the identification process. I have some beads that look like this that I was told were man-made, I.e. Glass, when I bought them.
Thanks for the tip, Diana! I’ve done the teeth thing in thrift stores many times to identify real pearls. My pendants feel smooth against the tooth. It seems like they are glass. That’s fine with me because I’m a lover of glass. I still think it’s cool how they put the red inside to flash in the sunlight like that.
I agree. Stone or glass, they are very cool beads. Btw, it’s the sound they make when tapped against your teeth that is the identifier in stone vs glass.
Not trying to get your hopes up – but it is possible you have milky opals. Google “milky opals” & see what you think from the pics. Also, you could take them to a rock & gem shop & see what they think. They are usually pretty good at IDing raw & unusual specimans. They are very pretty & I agree the fire inside is what makes them special. I would hang on to them, too.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions, Darlene! It probably would be a good idea for me to have someone knowledgeable look at it and handle it in person. 🙂