Lightning Ridge Opal Sterling Silver Ring

Name: Lightning Ridge Opal Sterling Silver Ring
SKU: Jul Opal Ring B

A stunning natural Boulder Opal with golden translucency and beautiful electric violet colour play. You will receive the beautiful ring in the photos.

This stunning ring can cleverly span ring sizes L-T (UK) or 5¾-9¾ (US). See size guide in listing photos for more details. Opal measures approximately 18x14x6mm.

Please note that our photographer's hands are small, please check with a ruler if uncertain of scale.

As setting adjustable rings can sometimes be a delicate procedure, we are happy to set the size for you before we sent it out to you - just let us know in the 'free gift card message' field or at checkout.

RESIZING ADJUSTABLE RINGS

It is quite easy to change the size of the ring yourself as long as you go slowly and are careful, manipulating the inner area of the band with warm fingers, rather than pulling at the end sections – this will help keep a round shape too. This ring will span quite a few sizes without compromising the original design concept. Once set, it is advisable not to resize again, as silver is quite soft and can become brittle and snap if bent too frequently.

Australian Boulder opals are the second most valuable type of opal (following black opal). Boulder opals, as the name suggests, are mined from large ironstone boulders under the ground. Thin veins of colourful opal forms in cracks and fissures in these boulders. The thin layer of opal in boulder opals can display any colour of the spectrum in a beautiful play of colour, rich blue, turquoise and translucent yellows are visible, all with great fire. Interesting bandings and patterning also.
Why do silversmiths use 925%? Measured in parts per thousand, pure silver (999%) is too soft so silversmiths mix it with other metals to make it it harder. The purer the metal, the higher the polish, but it is a lot softer (thus less durable). The harder the metal is, the more hard wearing the jewellery is, but it will also tarnish easier as it has less silver content. Therefore, the silver industry set a standard percentage content for fine silver (925); what we know as "sterling silver". At Two Skies our silversmiths use 925 (sterling) silver for ring shafts and moving parts, and a very high 950% on our stones settings, which enables us to get a strong jewellery item with a beautiful and secure stone setting, without any gluing. Each piece of our jewellery is hand stamped with our Two Skies Hallmark alongside the recognised industry 925 Hallmark.