Opal Engagement Rings

Opal is quite soft, relative to other gems. In fact, it's softer than the quartz particles that are commonly found in household dust. And that means it's more likely to wear out with daily wear, picking up scratches over time and even running the risk of cracking if the ring is bumped hard enough. So, does that make it a poor choice? Not necessarily. There's really no substitute for the unique look of opal, so for those who love that look, there isn't a more durable alternative. Which means it can be the right choice, and a very meaningful choice, for an engagement ring. But we believe it's really important to understand some of the risks when choosing opal.

The great news is that opal is relatively inexpensive. Even a really rare opal will cost far less than more traditional choices like diamond, sapphire, or ruby. If you're comfortable with the idea of replacing the center stone if it wears out or breaks over time, the maintenance costs can be very reasonable.

So, is opal a good choice for an engagement ring? For some, it absolutely is! And you can care for the ring in a way that will make it less likely to wear out. Every piece of fine jewelry requires a bit of care and maintenance. Your opal ring may just require a little more.

Looking for a bit more information? Read our article: Is Opal A Good Choice for an Engagement Ring?

As with any engagement ring, we recommend a little bit of caution. Don't wear your ring while you do household chores, work in the garden, exercise, or do other activities that will subject the ring to stress. And try to avoid wearing your ring while you put on lotion, perfume, hairspray, and other cosmetics. These chemicals, as well as cigarette smoke, can be damaging to all jewelry, but are particularly problematic for opal.

Since even dust can scratch the surface, try not to wipe or brush dust off the surface of the stone. Instead, use soapy water and a very soft brush or cloth to occasionally clean the ring. Opals are temperature sensitive, so room temperature water is ideal. And when you're not wearing the ring, keep it wrapped up or separate from other jewelry, to avoid scratching.

Opal is made up of microscopic spheres of silica and hold 3-10% water. This means that if opals are exposed to sudden temperature changes, excessive heat, or very try conditions, they may crack. As a result, you'll hear advice about avoiding extreme temperature fluctuations (e.g. stepping from a warm house into frigid winter temperatures, getting near a hot stove with your ring on, etc). Others advise keeping the opal wrapped in soft, moist cloth to maintain the surface moisture and keep the opal from drying and cracking. This is all sound advice, but it may be impractical if you're wearing the ring every day, and it can mean you're spending more time worrying about the risk to your ring than just enjoying its beauty.

Looking for a bit more information? Read our article: Is Opal A Good Choice for an Engagement Ring?

Typically, your custom piece will be in your hands 2-4 weeks after we've finalized your design. However, because each project is different, the time it takes to complete your project may vary. Here's a rough breakdown of how long each part of our process takes:

When it comes to creating your design, we'll work at your pace. Some customers only need to exchange a few messages with us - we'll often be ready to make their piece within a few days. Others may prefer to design and iterate with us over many weeks, or even months.

Once you've approved a design, we'll manufacture your piece, finishing all the details by hand. When it's ready, we'll send you photographs of your finished piece so you can give us your seal of approval before we ship it to you.

We offer free shipping within the US via FedEx or USPS, and we ship international packages via DHL Worldwide Express, one of the fastest services available. Depending on location, international shipments can sometimes be delayed by local customs for inspection, which can extend the delivery time.

In general, our custom rings are the same price as similar rings off-the-shelf ('similar' meaning a comparable selection of metals and gemstones used, which are the biggest factors in price). Our aim is to make high-quality custom designs accessible to everyone.

Each ring we produce starts off as a brand new concept. Because of that, it’s difficult to know how much a piece is going to cost without knowing a bit more about the idea you have in mind.

The easiest way to figure out how much your ring will cost is to start a consultation with us and let our team know what you're looking for - we can provide an estimate with only a few details.

There's no charge to discuss your design, and price out options with our team. In many cases, our jewelry designers will also create artistic sketches of our design concepts for your piece. We request a deposit prior to producing 3D models and renderings of your design and that deposit goes toward the final cost of producing your piece.

As with the rest of our design process, our team will guide you through the gem selection process. We start by figuring out what's important to you in a gemstone, whether it's budget, origin, size, color, or simply the overall look. With that in mind, we research and prepare a set of options that we think would work for you. Some come from our curated collection, others from a network of trusted suppliers, and in some cases, we may opt to have an expert lapidary custom cut your gem. You'll make the final decision on the option that best meets your needs, and we'll make sure you have everything you need to make the best choice.

Here's a closer look at how we help you pick the perfect opal center stone.

We stand behind our jewelry 100% and we offer a comprehensive set of warranties so that you can purchase with confidence.

We guarantee our workmanship and take responsibility for any structural defects.

All the materials (metals, diamonds, and gemstones) we sell are authentic and properly specified in your proposal agreement.

If any small accent gems (<$100 value) break or fall out of their settings in the first year after we create the ring or within a year of us performing maintenance on the ring, we’ll replace them free of charge.

Read more about our warranties.