Solid 14K Yellow Gold Oval Opal Cabochon Play of Color Stud Earrings

Solid 14K yellow gold stud earrings set with oval opal cabochons showing broad play of color. Each stone is a generous smooth dome in a soft translucent white body, and across that pale ground the color fires in wide sheets rather than scattered pinpoints, with vivid grass green dominating and bands of orange, rose and violet blue surfacing as the angle shifts. Four gold prongs hold each stone at the compass points, the tips rounded and notched over the edge of the dome, and the gold gallery beneath rises in a smooth open cup that lets light reach the stone from the sides. The earrings are unmarked and the gold has been tested.

The size is what makes these read. These are not small accent studs, they are full oval cabochons that fill the lobe, and a stone that large gives the play of color room to move in broad patches instead of the tight flecks you get on a small opal. Because the bodies are translucent rather than milky opaque, light enters the dome and bounces back out through the color, which is why the fire looks lit from within rather than painted on the surface. Warm yellow gold is the right frame for a light body opal, pushing the cool greens and blues forward by contrast where white metal would blend into them.

The two earring backs are a mismatched pair, so a new matching pair of silicone backs is included and the earrings can be worn either way. The prongs sit rounded and low with nothing sharp to catch. Arrives packaged and ready to gift or add to your collection.

Verifications:
Solid 14K gold has been verified using an Auracle Gold Analyzer.

Details:
Metal: Solid 14K Yellow Gold
Hallmark: Unmarked
Stone: Opal
Stone Cut: Oval Cabochon
Setting Style: Prong
Earring Style: Stud
Backing: Butterfly Back
Includes: Pair of silicone backs
Condition: Excellent estate condition

Fun Facts:
Pliny the Elder wrote in the first century that opal combined the virtues of every other gemstone at once, carrying the fire of ruby, the green of emerald, the purple of amethyst and the gold of topaz within a single stone, which remains about the most accurate description of play of color anyone has managed.
Pliny also recorded that the Roman senator Nonius was proscribed by Mark Antony, who coveted his opal ring, and that Nonius chose exile from Rome over surrendering the stone, fleeing with the ring as nearly his only possession.