There’s an undeniably sensuous allure to a hand-knotted strand of gemstones. Each bead moves with a liquid grace, the silk thread giving the necklace a supple drape against the skin. In the hand, they’re a joy to roll between your fingers, smooth and rhythmic with just the right weight. It’s a tactile pleasure, flexible and deeply satisfying. I adore layering these strands, playing with different stones, colors, and lengths, but they’re just as beautiful worn alone. Each one is knotted on silk thread chosen to complement the stones.
This strand is pure color and light. The opals move through lemon yellow, aqua, seafoam, turquoise, lilac, peach and candy pink, with that unmistakable opal fire flickering through the more translucent beads. Some have an almost glowing, jelly-like quality while others throw surprising flashes of green, blue and warm gold. I love how completely unapologetic the color is. It’s bright and playful, but the opal keeps it luminous rather than sugary.
The graduated rondelles give the strand a beautiful rhythm, with larger beads scattered among the smaller ones rather than everything feeling too perfectly matched. Knotted on golden yellow silk, all those shifting colors become even warmer and sunnier. This is a particularly fun one to layer with other gemstones, but there’s so much going on in the opals that it easily holds its own.
Opal has been treasured for centuries for its shifting play of color and has gathered plenty of lore along the way. It’s traditionally associated with creativity, imagination, passion and spontaneity, a pretty fitting history for a stone that never seems to look exactly the same twice.
✧ Stone: Multicolor opal
✧ Bead Size: Approximately 5–7.25mm smooth rondelles
✧ Length: Adjustable from 20–22 inches with a 2-inch sterling silver extension chain
✧ Thread: Hand-knotted on golden yellow silk
✧ Closure: Sterling silver lobster claw clasp with 2-inch extension chain
✧ Metal: Sterling silver
✧ Treatment: Color enhanced
One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.
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