A Late-1950's Natural Opal Cluster Ring
This stunning example of 1940's to 1950's "Atomic" jewelry is a staple of the Mid-Century Modern era: clusters of colorful white crystal opals are set surrounding a nucleus stone in a tall, floating fashion. While the gold may be stamped 18 karat, the piece tests to be about 10 karat gold; to the surprise of many collectors, this is not uncommon for the rings of this style and time. All of the opals appear to be original, in excellent condition for their age, and each glow their own unique color. One of the stones has a chip hidden under a prong of the ring, and some eye-visible crazing can be seen.
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Default size 7.50 US.
Check The Specs...
The Stones
| Opal Variety |
Natural White Opal, solid |
| Stone Count |
9 |
| Origin |
Coober Pedy, Australia |
| Weight (carats) |
Unknown |
| Shape |
Oval Cabochons |
| Dimensions (millimeters) |
5.61mm x 4.68mm average |
| Dimensions (inches) |
0.2" x 0.2" average |
| Brightness of Color Play |
B3 to B4 |
| Body Tone |
N9 |
| Predominant Color Play |
Multicolor collectively across all stones |
| Enhancements |
None |
| Additional Notes |
One stone has a chip hidden under a prong; eye-visible crazing can be seen in a number of stones. |
The Setting
| Purpose |
Ring |
| Metal |
10k yellow gold, solid |
| Setting Techniques |
prong-set |
| Shank Description |
standard single shank |
| Top Width |
22.65mm (0.9") |
| Height From Finger |
16.38mm (0.66") |
| Bottom of Shank Width |
3.35mm |
| Weight (grams) |
6.62g |
Default Size (US)
|
7.50 |
| Designer |
unknown |
| Era of Manufacture |
circa 1940's to 1950's |
| Additional Notes |
possibly Thai origin; improperly stamped "18k" |
